ISAIAH 18 COMMENTARY EDITED BY GLENN PEASE

A Prophecy Against Cush

18 Woe to the land of whirring wings[a]

along the rivers of Cush[b]

1BARNES ldquoWoe to the land - (הוי hoy) This word as has been already remarked (the

note at Isa_1712) may be a mere interjection or salutation and would be appropriately rendered by lsquoHorsquo Or it may be a word denouncing judgment or wrath as it is often used in this prophecy (the note at Isa_58)

Shadowing with wings - (צלצל כנפים tsıletsal kenapaıym) This is one of the most difficult

expressions in the whole chapter and one to which as yet probably no satisfactory meaning has

been applied The Septuagint renders it Οαγςπλοωνπτέρυγες Ouai ges ploion pteruges - lsquoAh wings of the land of shipsrsquo The Chaldee lsquoWoe to the land in which they come in ships from a distant country and whose sails are spread out as an eagle which flies upon its wingsrsquo Grotius renders it lsquoThe land whose extreme parts are shaded by mountainsrsquo The word rendered

lsquoshadowedrsquo צלצל tsıletsal occurs only in this place and in Job_417 where it is translated lsquofish-spearsrsquo - but as we know nothing of the ldquoformrdquo of those spears that place throws no light on the

meaning of the word here The word is derived evidently from צלל tsalal which has three significations

(1) ldquoTo be shady dark obscurerdquo and hence its derivatives are applied to anything that ldquomakesrdquo a shade or shadow - particularly ldquoshady treesrdquo Job_4021-22 the shades of night Son_217 Son_46 or anything that produces obscurity or darkness as a tree a rock a wing etc

(2) It means ldquoto tinglerdquo spoken of the ears 1Sa_311 2Ki_2113 ldquoto quiverrdquo spoken of the lips Hab_316 and hence its derivatives are applied to anything that makes a sound by ldquotinklingrdquo - an instrument of music a cymbal made of two pieces of metal that are struck together 2Sa_65 1Ch_1516 1Ch_1642 1Ch_256 2Ch_512 Neh_1227 Psa_1505)

(3) It means ldquoto sinkrdquo Exo_1510 From the sense of making ldquoa shaderdquo a derivative of the verb

tselatsal - the same as used here except the points - is applied to locusts because they appear צלצל

in such swarms as to obscure the rays of the sun and produce an extended shade or shadow over a land as a cloud does or because they make a rustling with their wings

The word used here therefore may mean either ldquoshaded or rustling or rattlingrdquo in the manner of a cymbal or other tinkling instrument It may be added that the word may mean a

ldquodouble shaderdquo being a doubling of the word צל tsel a ldquoshade or shdowrdquo and it has been supposed by some to apply to Ethiopia as lying betwen the tropics having a ldquodouble shadowrdquo

that is so that the shadow of objects is cast one half of the year on the north side and the other half on the south The word lsquowingsrsquo is applied in the Scriptures to the following things namely

(1) The wing of a fowl This is the literal and common signification

(2) The skirts borders or lower parts of a garment from the resemblance to wings Num_1538 1Sa_245 1Sa_2411 Zec_813 Also a bed-covering Deu_331

(3) The extremities or borders of a country or of the world Job_373 Isa_2416 Eze_173 Eze_177

(4) The ldquowingrdquo or extremity of an army as we use the word ldquowingrdquo Isa_88 Jer_4840 Dan_927

(5) The expanding rays of the morning because the light ldquoexpands or spreads outrdquo like wings Psa_1399 Mal_42

(6) The ldquowindrdquo - resembling wings in rapid motion Psa_1810 Psa_1821 Psa_1043 Hos_419

(7) The battlement or pinnacle of the temple - or perhaps the porches extended on each side of the temple like wings (Dan_927 compare Mat_45)

(8) ldquoProtectionrdquo - as wings are a protection to young birds in their nest (see Psa_188 Psa_367 Psa_614 Psa_914 Mat_2337) It has been proposed by some to apply this description to ldquoshipsrdquo or the sails of vessels as if a land was designated which was covered with ldquosailsrdquo or the ldquowingsrdquo of vessels So the Septuagint and the Chaldee But there is no instance in which the word ldquowingsrdquo is so applied in the Scriptures

The expression used here ldquomayrdquo therefore be applied to many things and it is not easy to determine its signification The ldquogeneralrdquo idea is that of ldquosomethingrdquo that abounds in the land that is stretched out or expanded that as it were ldquocoversrdquo it and so abounds as to make a shade or shadow everywhere And it may be applied

(1) to a nation that abounds with birds or fowls so that they might be said to shade the land

(2) to a nation abounding with locusts shading the land or making a rustling noise or

(3) to a nation furnishing protection or stretching out its wings as it were for the defense of a feeble people So Vitringa interprets this place and supposes that it refers to Egypt as being the nation where the Hebrews sought protection Or

(4) to a country that is shaded with trees mountains or hills So Grotius supposes it means here and thinks that it refers to Ethiopia as being bounded by high hills or mountains

(5) It ldquomayrdquo mean a people distinguished for navigation - abounding in ldquosailsrdquo of vessels - as if they were everywhere spread out like wings So the Septuagint and the Chaldee understand this and the interpretation has some plausibility from the fact that light vessels are immediately mentioned

(6) The editor of Calmetrsquos ldquoDictionaryrdquo supposes that it refers to the ldquowinged Cnephimrdquo which are sculptured over the temple gates in Upper-Egypt They are emblematic representatives of the god ldquoCnephrdquo to which the temples are dedicated and abound in Upper Egypt The symbol of the ldquowingsrdquo is supposed to denote the ldquoprotectionrdquo which the god extended over the land

(7) Gesenius (ldquoCom on Isaiahrdquo) renders it lsquoland rustling with wingsrsquo and supposes that the word rendered lsquoshadowingrsquo denotes the ldquorustlingrdquo sound that is made by the clangor of weapons of war Amidst this variety of interpretation it is perhaps not possible to determine the meaning of the phrase It has no parallel expression to illustrate it and its meaning must be left to conjecture

Almost anyone of the above significations will suit the connection and it is not very material which is chosen The one that perhaps best suits the connection is that of the Septuagint and

the Chaldee which refers it to the multitude of ships that expand their sails and appear to fill all the waters of the land with wings

Which is beyond - (מעבר me‛eber) This does not of necessity mean ldquobeyondrdquo though that

is its usual signification It properly means ldquofrom the passing the passages the crossing overrdquo of a river and may be rendered what is on the other side or over against It sometimes means on this side as if used by one living on the other side Deu_449 Jos_1327 1Ki_424 in which places it has not the sense of ldquobeyondrdquo but means either on this side or lying alongside The sense here is probably that this country was situated ldquonot farrdquo from the rivers of Cush ldquoprobablyrdquo beyond them but still it is implied that they were not ldquofarrdquo beyond them but were rather at their passings over or crossing-places that is near them

The rivers of Ethiopia - Hebrew lsquoRivers of Cushrsquo (On the meaning of the word lsquoCushrsquo see the note at Isa_1111) It is sometimes applicable to Ethiopia or Nubia - that is the portion of Egypt above the cataracts of the Nile Compare Jer_1323 lsquoCan the Ethiopian (the ldquoCushiterdquo) change his skinrsquo (see also Eze_2910) This word does not determine with certainty the country to which reference is made - for the country of Cush ldquomayrdquo mean that east of the Euphrates or southern Arabia or southern Egypt Egypt and Cush are however sometimes connected (2Ki_199 Psa_6831 Isa_203 Isa_433 Nah_39 compare Dan_1143) The ldquoprobabilityrdquo from the use of this word is that some part of Upper Egypt is intended Ethiopia in part lies beyond the most considerable of the streams that make up the river Nile

2 CLARKE ldquoWo to the land - הויארץ hoiarets This interjection should be translated ho for it is properly a particle of calling Ho land Attend Give ear

Shadowing with wings ldquoThe winged cymbalrdquo - צלצלכנפים tsiltsalkenaphayim I adopt this as the most probable of the many interpretations that have been given of these words It is Bochartrsquos see Phaleg 42 The Egyptian sistrum is expressed by a periphrasis the Hebrews had no name for it in their language not having in use the instrument itself The cymbal they had was an instrument in its use and sound not much unlike the sistrum and to distinguish it from the sistrum they called it the cymbal with wings The cymbal was a round hollow piece of metal which being struck against another gave a ringing sound the sistrum was a round instrument consisting of a broad rim of metal through which from side to side ran several loose laminae or small rods of metal which being shaken gave a like sound These projecting on each side had somewhat the appearance of wings or might be very properly expressed by the same word which the Hebrews used for wings or for the extremity or a part of any thing projecting The sistrum is given in a medal of Adrian as the proper attribute of Egypt See Addison on Medals Series 3 No 4 where the figure of it may be seen The frame of the sistrum was in shape rather like the ancient lyre it was not round

If we translate shadowing with wings it may allude to the multitude of its vessels whose sails may be represented under the notion of wings The second verse seems to support this

interpretation Vessels of bulrushes גמא gome or rather the flag papyrus so much celebrated as

the substance on which people wrote in ancient times and from which our paper is denominated The sails might have been made of this flag but whole canoes were constructed from it Mat sails are used to the present day in China The Vulgate fully understood the meaning of the word and has accordingly translated in vasis papyri ldquoin vessels of papyrusrdquo Reshi vesselis - Old MS Bib This interpretation does not please Bp Lowth and for his dissent he gives the following reasons -

In opposition to other interpretations of these words which have prevailed it may be briefly

observed that צלצל tsiltsel is never used to signify shadow nor is כנף canaph applied to the sails of ships If therefore the words are rightly interpreted the winged cymbal meaning the sistrum Egypt must be the country to which the prophecy is addressed And upon this hypothesis the version and explanation must proceed I farther suppose that the prophecy was delivered before Sennacheribrsquos return from his Egyptian expedition which took up three years and that it was designed to give to the Jews and perhaps likewise to the Egyptians an intimation of Godrsquos counsels in regard to the destruction of their great and powerful enemy

Which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia ldquoWhich borders on the rivers of Cushrdquo - What are the rivers of Cush whether the eastern branches of the lower Nile the boundary of Egypt towards Arabia or the parts of the upper Nile towards Ethiopia it is not easy to

determine The word מעבר meeber signifies either on this side or on the farther side I have made

use of the same kind of ambiguous expression in the translation

3 GILL ldquoWoe to the land shadowing with wings Or O land as calling to it so Aben Ezra and Kimchi It is very difficult to determine what land is here meant some think the land of Assyria is here designed as Aben Ezra and others and so it is a continuation of the prophecy concerning the destruction of the Assyrians in the three last verses of the preceding chapter Isa_1712 the stretching out of whose wings is mentioned Isa_88 and thought to be referred to here others are of opinion that the land of Judea is intended which trusted under the shadow of the wings of Egypt and Ethiopia to whom the characters in the next verse Isa_182 are supposed to belong but the more generally received sense is that either Egypt or Ethiopia themselves are pointed at described as shadowing with wings not with the wings of birds as Jarchi interprets it which flocked thither in great numbers the country being hot and so shaded it with their wings but rather with mountains with which Ethiopia at least some part of it was encompassed and shaded or else with ships whose sails are like wings and which resorting hither in numerous fleets of them and hovering about their coasts and ports seemed to shadow them to which agrees the Septuagint version Woe to the land the wings of ships and so the Targum Woe to the land to which they come in ships from a far country whose sails are stretched out as an eagle that flies with its wings so Manasseh Ben Israel (c) renders them Woe to the land which under the shadow of veils falls beyond the rivers of Ethiopia The word translated shadowing is used for a cymbal 2Sa_65 Psa_1505 and so it is rendered here in the Vulgate Latin version Woe to the land with the cymbal of wings and some think the sistrum is meant which was a musical instrument used by the Egyptians in their worship of Isis and which had wings to it or had transverse rods in the middle of it which looked like wings one of which may be seen in Pignorius (d) and so it describes the land of Egypt famous for its winged cymbals Minucius Felix (e) makes mention of the swallow along with the sistrum which was a bird of Isis and which some say was placed over the statue of Isis with its wings stretched out

Which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia the principal of which were Astaboras and Astapus (f) and also Nile itself which came out of Ethiopia into Egypt or which is on this side of the rivers of Ethiopia (g) and so may intend Egypt which bordered on this side of it towards Judea or which is beside the rivers of Ethiopia (h) and so may denote Ethiopia itself situated by these rivers The Targum renders it the rivers of Judea Some would have it that the rivers of Arabia Chusaea are meant which lay between Judea and Egypt as Besor Rhinocorura Trajan and Corys and Arabia seems rather to be meant by Cush than Ethiopia in Africa since that lay beyond the rivers of Egypt rather than Egypt beyond the rivers of Ethiopia

4 HENRY ldquoInterpreters are very much at a loss where to find this land that lies beyond the

rivers of Cush Some take it to be Egypt a maritime country and full of rivers and which

courted Israel to depend upon them but proved broken reeds but against this it is strongly

objected that the next chapter is distinguished from this by the title of the burden of Egypt

Others take it to be Ethiopia and read it which lies near or about the rivers of Ethiopia not

that in Africa which lay south of Egypt but that which we call Arabia which lay east of Canaan

which Tirhakah was now king of He thought to protect the Jews as it were under the shadow

of his wings by giving a powerful diversion to the king of Assyria when he made a descent upon

his country at the time that he was attacking Jerusalem 2Ki_199 But though by his

ambassadors he bade defiance to the king of Assyria and encouraged the Jews to depend upon

him God by the prophet slights him and will not go forth with him he may take his own course

but God will take another course to protect Jerusalem while he suffers the attempt of Tirhakah

to miscarry and his Arabian army to be ruined for the Assyrian army shall become a present or

sacrifice to the Lord of hosts and to the place of his name by the hand of an angel not by the

hand of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia Isa_187 This is a very probable exposition of this chapter

But from a hint of Dr Lightfoots in his Harmony of the Old Testament I incline to understand

this chapter as a prophecy against Assyria and so a continuation of the prophecy in the last

three verses of the foregoing chapter with which therefore this should be joined That was

against the army of the Assyrians which rushed in upon Judah this is against the land of Assyria

itself which lay beyond the rivers of Arabia that is the rivers Euphrates and Tigris which

bordered on Arabia Deserta And in calling it the land shadowing with wings he seems to refer

to what he himself had said of it (Isa_88) that the stretching out of his wings shall fill the

breadth of thy land O Immanuel The prophet might perhaps describe the Assyrians by such

dark expressions not naming them for the same reason that St Paul in his prophecy speaks of

the Roman empire by a periphrasis He who now letteth 2Th_27 Here is

5 JAMISON ldquo

Isa_181-7 Isaiah announces the overthrow of Sennacheribrsquos hosts and desires the Ethiopian ambassadors now in Jerusalem to bring word of it to their own nation and he calls on the whole world to witness the event (Isa_183) As Isa_1712-14 announced the presence of the foe so Isa_181-7 foretells his overthrow

Woe mdash The heading in English Version ldquoGod will destroy the Ethiopiansrdquo is a mistake arising from the wrong rendering ldquoWoerdquo whereas the Hebrew does not express a threat but is an appeal calling attention (Isa_551 Zec_26) ldquoHordquo He is not speaking against but to the Ethiopians calling on them to hear his prophetical announcement as to the destruction of their enemies

shadowing with wings mdash rather ldquoland of the winged barkrdquo that is ldquobarks with wing-like sails answering to vessels of bulrushesrdquo in Isa_182 the word ldquoriversrdquo in the parallelism also favors it so the Septuagint and Chaldee [Ewald] ldquoLand of the clanging sound of wingsrdquo that is armies as in Isa_88 the rendering ldquobarkrdquo or ldquoshiprdquo is rather dubious [Maurer] The armies referred to are those of Tirhakah advancing to meet the Assyrians (Isa_379) In English Version ldquoshadowingrdquo means protecting - stretching out its wings to defend a feeble people namely the Hebrews [Vitringa] The Hebrew for ldquowingsrdquo is the same as for the idol Cneph which was represented in temple sculptures with wings (Psa_914)

beyond mdash Meroe the island between the ldquoriversrdquo 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 ldquoTirhakahrdquo in the inscriptions This island region was probably the chief part of Queen Candacersquos kingdom (Act_827) For ldquobeyondrdquo others translate less literally ldquowhich borderest onrdquo

Ethiopia mdash literally ldquoCushrdquo Horsley is probably right that the ultimate and fullest reference of the prophecy is to the restoration of the Jews in the Holy Land through the instrumentality of some distant people skilled in navigation (Isa_182 Isa_609 Isa_6010 Psa_4515 Psa_6831 Zep_310) Phoenician voyagers coasting along would speak of all Western remote lands as ldquobeyondrdquo the Nilersquos mouths ldquoCushrdquo 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 (Gen_213)

6 KampD 1-3 ldquoThe prophecy commences with hoi which never signifies heus but always vae

(woe) Here however it differs from Isa_1712 and is an expression of compassion (cf Isa_551 Zec_210) rather than of anger for the fact that the mighty Ethiopia is oppressed by the still mightier Asshur is a humiliation which Jehovah has prepared for the former Isa_181 Isa_182 ldquoWoe to the land of the whirring of wings which is beyond the rivers of Cush that sends ambassadors into the sea and in boats of papyrus over the face of the watersrdquo The land

of Cush commences according to Eze_2910 (cf Isa_306) where Upper Egypt ends The Seve

neh (Aswan) mentioned by Ezekiel is the boundary-point at which the Nile enters Mizraim

proper and which is still a depot for goods coming from the south down the Nile The nahare-

Cush (rivers of Cush) are chiefly those that surround the Cushite Seba (Gen_107) This is the

name given to the present Sennacircr the Meroitic island which is enclosed between the White and Blue Nile (the Astapos of Ptolemy or the present Bahr el-Abyad and the Astaboras of Ptolemy or the present Bahr el-Azrak) According to the latest researches more especially those of Speke the White Nile which takes its rise in the Lake of Nyanza is the chief source of the Nile

The latter and the Blue Nile whose confluence (makran) with it takes place in lat 15deg 25acute are

fed by many larger or smaller tributary streams (as well as mountain torrents) the Blue Nile

even more than the Nile proper And this abundance of water in the land to the south of Seveneh and still farther south beyond Seba (or Meroeuml) might very well have been known to the prophet as a general fact The land ldquobeyond the rivers of Cushrdquo is the land bounded by the sources of the Nile ie (including Ethiopia itself in the stricter sense of the word) the south land under Ethiopian rule that lay still deeper in the heart of the country the land of its African auxiliary tribes whose names (which probably include the later Nubians and Abyssinians) as given in 2Ch_123 Nah_39 Eze_305 Jer_469 suppose a minuteness of information which has not yet been attained by modern research To this Ethiopia which is designated by its farthest limits (compare Zep_310 where Wolff in his book of Judith erroneously supposes Media to be

intended as the Asiatic Cush) the prophets give the strange name of eretz tziltzal cenap This has been interpreted as meaning ldquothe land of the wings of an army with clashing armsrdquo by Gesenius

and others but cenaphaim does not occur in this sense like agappim in Ezekiel Others render it

ldquothe land of the noise of wavesrdquo (Umbreit) but cenaphaim cannot be used of waters except in

such a connection as Isa_88 Moreover tziltzal is not a fitting onomatopoetic word either for

the clashing of arms or the noise of waves Others again render it ldquothe land of the double shadowrdquo (Grotius Vitringa Knobel and others) but however appropriate this epithet might be to Ethiopia as a tropical land it is very hazardous to take the word in a sense which is not sustained by the usage of the language and the same objection may be brought against Luzzattos ldquoland of the far-shadowing defencerdquo Shelling has also suggested another objection - namely that the shadow thrown even in tropical lands is not a double one falling northwards and southwards at the same time and therefore that it cannot be figuratively described as

double-winged Tziltzal cenaphaim is the buzzing of the wings of insects with which Egypt and

Ethiopia swarmed on account of the climate and the abundance of water צלצל constr צלצל tinnitus stridor a primary meaning from which the other three meanings of the word-cymbal harpoon (a whirring dart) and grasshopper

(Note Schroumlring supposes tziltzal to be the scarabaeus sacer (Linn) but it would be much

more natural if any particular animal is intended to think of the tzaltzalya as it is called in

the language of the Gallas the tzetze in the Betschuana language the most dreaded diptera

of the interior of Africa a species of glossina which attacks all the larger mammalia (though not men) Vid Hartmann Naturgeschichtlich-medic Skizze der Nillaumlnder Abth i p 205)

- are derived In Isa_718 the forces of Egypt are called ldquothe fly from the end of the rivers of Egyptrdquo Here Egypt and Ethiopia are called the land of the whirring of wings inasmuch as the prophet had in his mind under the designation of swarms of insects the motley swarms of different people included in this great kingdom that were so fabulously strange to an Asiatic Within this great kingdom messengers were now passing to and fro upon its great waters in

boats of papyrus (on gome Copt ‛gome Talm gami see at Job_811) Greek βαρίδεςπαπύριναι (β

αρίς from the Egyptian bari bali a barque) In such vessels as these and with Egyptian tackle they went as far as the remote island of Taprobane The boats were made to clap together

(pilcatiles) so as to be carried past the cataracts (Parthey on Plutarch de Iside pp 198-9) And it

is to these messengers in their paper boats that the appeal of the prophet is addressed

He sends them home and what they are to say to their own people is generalized into an announcement to the whole earth ldquoGo swift messengers to the people stretched out and polished to the terrible people far away on the other side to the nation of command upon

command and treading down whose land rivers cut through All ye possessors of the globe and inhabitants of the earth when a banner rises on the mountains look ye and when they blow the trumpets hearkenrdquo We learn from what follows to what it is that the attention of Ethiopia and all the nations of the earth is directed it is the destruction of Asshur by Jehovah They are to attend when they observe the two signals the banner and the trumpet-blast these are decisive moments Because Jehovah was about to deliver the world from the conquering might of Assyria against which the Ethiopian kingdom was now summoning all the means of self-defence the prophet sends the messengers home Their own people to which he sends them

home are elaborately described They are memusshak stretched out ie very tall (lxx Kθνοςmicroετέ

ωρον) just as the Sabaeans are said to have been in Isa_4514 They are also morat = memorat (Ges sect52 Anm 6) smoothed politus ie either not disfigured by an ugly growth of hair or else without any reference to depilation but rather with reference to the bronze colour of their skin smooth and shining with healthy freshness The description which Herodotus gives of the

Ethiopians microέγιστοικακάλλιστοιQνθρώπωνπάντων (iii 20) quite answers to these first two predicates They are still further described with reference to the wide extent of their kingdom

which reached to the remotest south as ldquothe terrible nation הSאמן־הו והל rdquo ie from this point

where the prophet meets with the messengers farther and farther off (compare 1Sa_2021-22 but not 1Sa_189 where the expression has a chronological meaning which would be less

suitable here where everything is so pictorial and which is also to be rejected because אמן־הו

cannot be equivalent to הוא cf Nah_29) We may see from Isa_2810 Isa_2813 what ka מאשר

v (kaZv with connecting accusatives and before makkeph) a measuring or levelling line signifies

when used by the prophet with the reduplication which he employs here it is a people of ldquocommand upon commandrdquo - that is to say a commanding nation (according to Ewald

Knobel and others kav is equivalent to the Arabic kuwe strength a nation of double or gigantic

strength) ldquoA people of treading downrdquo (sc of others mebusah is a second genitive to goi) ie one which subdues and tramples down wherever it appears These are all distinctive predicates - a nation of imposing grandeur a ruling and conquering nation The last predicate extols its

fertile land זא we take not in the sense of diripere or as equivalent to bazaz like מ^ס to melt

equivalent to masas but in the sense of findere ie as equivalent to בזע like מא_ to sip = מע_ For it is no praise to say that a land is scoured out or washed away by rivers Boumlttcher who is wrong in describing this chapter as ldquoperhaps the most difficult in the whole of the Old

Testamentrdquo very aptly compares with it the expression used by Herodotus (ii 108) κατετmicroήθηb

Αdγυπτος But why this strange elaboration instead of the simple name There is a divine irony in

the fact that a nation so great and glorious and (though not without reason considering its natural gifts) so full of self-consciousness should be thrown into such violent agitation in the prospect of the danger that threatened it and should be making such strenuous exertions to avert that danger when Jehovah the God of Israel was about to destroy the threatening power itself in a night and consequently all the care and trouble of Ethiopia were utterly needless

7 BI ldquoThe Ethiopians

The people here peculiarly described are the Ethiopians and the prophet prophesies the effect on Ethiopia of the judgment concerning Assyria which Jehovah executes as Drechsler has

convincingly proved and as is now universally recognised (F Delitzsch)

Ethiopia

What land is it of which the prophet speaks It is no doubt Ethiopia itself a great kingdom in the olden time For although he says ldquobeyond the rivers of Ethiopiardquo that is the Blue Nile and the White Nile and the Astaboras the meaning is perhaps more accurately ldquobesiderdquo those rivers In any event the ancient land of Ethiopia reached out to the south far beyond the confluence of those rivers in the mighty Nile including probably all upper Egypt beyond Philae Nubia and the northern portion of modern Abyssinia It was a fertile country very rich in gold ivory ebony frankincense and precious stones A country thickly inhabited by a stalwart well-formed race ldquomen of staturerdquo the prophet calls them who if they were black were yet comely It was a mighty kingdom for many centuries a rival of Egypt sometimes its enemy and apparently even its conqueror a kingdom able to make war against the Assyrians and a kingdom too carrying on a great trade by means of abundant merchandise with many people (A Ritchie)

ldquoThe land shadowing with wingsrdquo

1 Full of poetic suggestion is the expression ldquoshadowing with wingsrdquo The thought is of tender protection as the mother bird hovers over and shields her young The Psalmist is never tired of crying out to God ldquoHide me under the covering of Thy wingsrdquo It was right that Israel and Judah should cry thus to Jehovah for protection but not that they should look to the shadowing wings of Ethiopia Just as it was pathetically true that in later times our Lord should say of the Holy City ldquoO Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thy children together even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would notrdquomdashso seven hundred years earlier it was true that Judah would not seek refuge under the wings of the Lord but under the shadowing of Egypt and the covering of Ethiopia

2 In the Revised Version we have the passage rendered ldquoAh the land of the rustling of wingsrdquo Some of the old commentators find in this an allusion to the multitude of bees and the swarms of flies in Ethiopia so that there the hum of wings was never absent More picturesque is another suggestion that the reference is to the ever plashing waters of the rivers hurrying along with swift current in rapids and through cataracts until the broad bosom of father Nile was reached The swish and lapping of the rushing waters seemed to the poet like the noise made by the swift flight of many birds beating the air with strong pinions as they sweep on towards the horizon

3 If we turn to the Septuagint the Greek Old Testament we read the text thus ldquoWoe to you ye wings of the land of shipsrdquo What are the wings of the land of ships but the many sails whereby those ships flit hither and thither One sees before him a new picture The graceful dahabiehs with their long yards and triangular sails dotting the water everywhere and naturally suggesting great sea birds with outspread wings shining in the starlight white and ghostly on the calm surface of the mysterious river which is Egyptrsquos life

4 Some of the more acute Hebrew scholars point out that it is possible to understand the prophetrsquos language in yet another way ldquoWoe to the land where the shadow falleth both waysrdquo that is of course near the Equator where sometimes the shadows stretch out to the south and sometimes to the north according to the time of the year If we understand our text so it is natural to see in it an allusion to the fickleness of the Ethiopians a nation which

Judah vainly trusted in since today it would be found an ally and tomorrow an enemy (A Ritchie)

The prophetrsquos charge to the Ethiopian ambassadors

Ethiopia (Hebrews ldquoCushrdquo) corresponds generally to the modern Soudan (ie the blacks) Egypt and Ethiopia were at this time ruled by Tirkakah (704-685) His ambassadors are in Jerusalem offering an alliance against the Assyrian and the prophet sends them back to their people with the words ldquoGo ye swift messengersrdquo etc Jehovah needs no help against His enemies (A BDavidson LL D)

Note

Full stop at ldquowatersrdquo (Isa_182) and omit ldquosayingrdquo The prophet speaks ldquoGo ye swift messengers to a nation tall and smooth a nation all-powerful and subduing whose land rivers divide (intersect)rdquo ldquoSmoothrdquo may refer to the glancing bronzed skin of the people (A BDavidson LL D)

Vessels of bulrushes

It is well known that timber proper for building ships was very scarce in Egypt to supply this deficiency the Egyptians used bulrushes or a reed called papyrus of which they made vessels fit for sailing Ships and boats built of this sort of materials being extremely light and drawing very little water were admirably suited to traverse the Nile along the banks of which there were doubtless many morasses and shoals They were also very convenient and easy to be managed at the waterfalls where they might be carried with no great difficulty to smooth water From such circumstances as these we may conclude that they would sail exceeding fast and afford a very speedy conveyance of all kinds of intelligence from one part of the country to another and from Egypt to neighbouring nations In them therefore ambassadors or messengers were often sent to different places with various kinds of information after having received their orders in terms such as these ldquoGo ye swift messengersrdquo (R Macculloch)

They were made for folding together so that they could be carried past the cataracts (F Delitzsch D D)

8 PULPIT ldquoTHE HOMAGE OF ETHIOPIA TO JEHOVAH Amid the general excitement caused by the

advance of Assyria Ethiopia also is stirred and stirred to its furthest limits The king sends messengers in

beats upon the canals and rivers to summon his troops to his standard (Isa_181 Isa_182) The earth

stands agaze to see the result of the approaching collision (Isa_183) but God rests calmly in heaven

while events are ripening (Isa_184 Isa_185) When the time comes he will strike the blowmdashAssyria will

be given to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field (Isa_186) Then Ethiopia will make an act of

homage to Jehovah by the sending of a present to Jerusalem (Isa_187) The time seems to be that

immediately preceding the great invasion of Sennacherib when Shabatok the Ethiopian was King of

Egypt and Tirhakah (Tahark) either Crown Prince under him or more probably Lord Paramount of Egypt

over him and reigning at Napata

Isa_181

Woe to the land rather Ho for the land (comp Isa_1712) Shadowing with wings literally either the

land of the shadow of wings or the land of the noise of wings most probably the latter Allusion is thought

to be made to the swarms of buzzing flies especially the tsetse with which Ethiopia abounds At the

same time these swarms are perhaps intended to be taken as emblems of the hosts of warriors which

Ethiopia can send forth (comp Isa_718) Beyond the rivers of Ethiopia The prophet cannot be

supposed to have had more than a vague knowledge of African geography He seems however robe

aware that Ethiopia is a land of many rivers (see Bakers Nile Tributaries) and he assumes that the

dominion of the Ethiopian kings extends even beyond these rivers to the south of them His object is as

Mr Cheyne says to emphasize the greatness of Ethiopia It may be questioned however whether the

dominion of the Ethiopian kings of the time extended so far as he supposed The seat of their power was

Napata now Gebel Berkal in the great bend of the Nile between lat 18deg and 19deg N and its southern limit

was probably Khar-toum and the line of the Blue Nile

9 CALVIN ldquo1Woe to the land I cannot determine with certainty what is the nation of which Isaiah

speaks though he shews plainly that it bordered on Ethiopia Some consider it to refer to the whole of

Egypt but this is a mistake for in the next chapter he treats of Egypt separately from which it is evident

that the people here meant were distinct from the Egyptians Some think that the Troglodytes are here

meant which does not appear to me to be probable for they had no intercourse with other nations

because their language as geographers tell us was hissing and not speech (12) but those who are

mentioned evidently had intercourse and leagues with other nations

Still it is uncertain whether they leagued against the Jews or joined with the Egyptians in driving out the

Assyrians If they were avowed enemies to the Jews Isaiah threatens punishment but if they deceived

them by false promises he shews that nothing is to be expected from them because by idle messages

they will only protract the time However that may be from the neighboring nations to be mentioned in the

next chapter we may in part ascertain where they were situated that is not far from Egypt and Ethiopia

yet some may be disposed to view it as a description of that part of Ethiopia which lay on the sea-coast

for we shall afterwards see that the Assyrians were at war with the king of the Ethiopians (Isa_379)

When he says that that land shadows with wings we learn from it that its sea was well supplied with

harbours so that it had many vessels sailing to it and was wealthy for small and poor states could not

maintain intercourse or traffic with foreign countries He therefore means that they performed many

voyages

(12) ldquo Ethiopian Troglodytesrdquo says Herodotus ldquo the swiftest of foot of all men of whom we have received

any accounts The Troglodytes feed on serpents and lizards and reptiles of that sort and the language

which they have adopted has no resemblance to any other but they screech like bats mdash Herod 4183

FT270 ldquo vessels of bulrushesrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT271 ldquo and peeled or outspread and polishedrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT272 ldquo nation meted out and trodden downrdquo Heb ldquo nation of line and line and treading under footrdquo mdash

Eng Ver

FT273 ldquo nation meted out by line that is utterly subdued Heb Put under line and line to decide what part

of them should be destroyed and what saved by the conquerors In this manner David is described

(2Sa_82) as having dealt with the children of Moab See Lam_28 Such a nation might well deserve to

be calleddrawn out and pilled that is drawn through the fingers (or an instrument) like a willow in order to

be peeled and made fit for wicker workrdquo mdash Stock

FT274 ldquoVidebitisrdquo ldquoVous le verrezrdquo

FT275 ldquo yerdquo ldquo yerdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT276 ldquo I will consider in my dwelling-placerdquo mdash Eng Ver ldquo will rest and look round in my dwelling-placerdquo

mdash Stock

FT277 ldquo a clear heat upon herbsrdquo or ldquo rainrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT278 Like the clear heat at the coming of daylight The resting of Jehovah hovering over the enemy till

they are ripe for destruction is here beautifully compared to the condensed gloom before daylight which

is wont to usher in a hot summerrsquo day and to the sheet of dew that appears to hang over the ground in

harvest time presently after sunset עלי (ălē) is here used for near the time of as we say against such a

time אור עלי (ălēō) prope lucem adventante luce mdash Stock

FT279 Rosenmuuml takes notice of another reading supported by the Septuagint Syriac and Vulgate ביום

the heat of harvestrdquo but justly ldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר בהם at the time of harvestrdquo instead ofldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר

remarks that it makes no difference to the meaning mdash Ed

FT280 ldquo is their dead bodiesrdquo mdash Jarchi

FT281 ldquo quit the metaphor the flourishing leaders of a people devoted by Jehovah to destruction shall be

cut off and trampled on The people here spoken of are the Assyrians under Sennacheribrdquo mdash Stock

10 PULPIT ldquoThe contrast of Divine calm with human bustle hurry and excitement

When men take a matter in hand wherein they feel an interest and set themselves either to carry out a

certain design of their own or to frustrate the designs of others nothing is more remarkable than the

fuss that they make about it Heaven and earth are moved so to speak for the accomplishment of the

desired end the entire nation is excited stirred thrilled to its lowest depths a universal eagerness

prevails all is noise clamor haste bustle tumult whirl confusion Assyrias noise is compared

(Isa_1712) to the roar of the sea and the rushing of mighty waters Ethiopias stir is like the sound of

many wings (Isa_181) Even Cyrus though he has a Divine mission cannot set about it without the

noise of a multitude in the mountains like as of a great people a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of

nations gathered together (Isa_134) It is in vain that men are told to stand still and see the salvation of

God (Exo_1413) or admonished that in quietness and confidence should be their strength

(Isa_3015) they cannot bring themselves to act on the advice tendered Great minds indeed are

comparatively quiet and tranquil but even they are liable upon occasion to be swept away by the

prevailing wave of excited feeling and dragged as it were from their moorings into a turbid ocean And

the mass of mankind is wholly without calm or stability It trembles flutters rushes hither and thither

mistakes activity for energy and fussiness for the power of achievement This condition of things results

from three weaknesses in man

1 His want of patience

2 His want of confidence in himself

3 His want of confidence in God

I MANS WANT OF PATIENCE Man desires to obtain whatever end he sets himself at once The boy is

impatient to be grown up the subaltern would at once be a general the clerk a partner the student a

professor of his science Men make haste to be rich (Pro_2820) and overshoot the mark and fall hack

into poverty They strive to become world-famous when they are mere tyros and put fetch ambitions

writings which only show their ignorance They fail to recognize the force of the proverb that everything

comes to those who wait To toil long to persevere to make a small advance day after daymdashthis seems

to them a poor thing an unsatisfactory mode of procedure They would reach the end per saltum by a

bound Hence their haste Too often most haste is worst speed Vaulting ambition cloth oer leap itself

and falls on the other side

II MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IN HIMSELF He who is sure of himself can afford to wait He knows

that he will succeed in the end what matters whether a little sooner or a little later But the bulk of men

are not sure of themselves they misdoubt their powers capacities perseverance steadiness reserve

fund of energy Hence their spasmodic efforts hurried movements violent agitations frantic rushings

hither and thither If they do not gain their end at once they despair of ever attaining it They are

conscious of infinite weakness in themselves and feel that they cannot tell what a day may bring forth in

the way of defeat and disappointment They say that it is necessary to strike while the iron is hot but their

real reason for haste is that they question whether their ability to strike will not have passed away if they

delay ever so little

III MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IS GOD He who feels that God is on his side has no need to

disquiet himself He will not fear the powers of darkness he will not be afraid of what flesh can do unto

him But comparatively few men have this feeling Either they put the thoughts of God altogether away

from them or they view him as an enemy or they misdoubt at any rate his sympathy with themselves

Mostly they feel that they do not deserve his sympathy They cannot rest in the Lord and they cannot

find rest outside of him Hence they remain in perpetual disturbance and unrest Strangely in contrast with

mans unquiet is Gods immovable calm and unruffled tranquility The Lord said I will take my rest

(Isa_184) None can really resist his will and hence he has no need to trouble himself if resistance is

attempted The fierceness of man will always turn to his praise Time is no object with him who is

above time whose goings have been from the days of eternity (Mic_52) In silence and calm he

accomplishes his everlasting purposes Himself at rest in the still depths of his unchangeable nature it is

he alone who can give his creatures rest As they grow mere like to him they will grow more and more

tranquil until the time comes when they will enter finally into that rest which remaineth for his people

(Heb_49)

11 PULPIT ldquoHomage of Ethiopia to Jehovah

I AGITATION IN ETHIOPIA The oracle opens with a scene full of life Hosts of Egyptian and Ethiopian

warriors are seen like buzzing swarms of flies moving to and fro Messengers are speeding in papyrus

boats to announce the approach of the Assyrians The Ethiopians are described as a nation tall and

polished terrible strong and all-subduing whose land rivers cut through A sense of mystery and

greatness hung about this and from the earliest timesmdashthe land of the source of the Nile opened up by

our countryman Spoke and others The prophet lifts up his voice to this people A signal will be seen on

the mountains the blast of a trumpet will be heard There will be symptoms of the Divine presence

restraining overruling the wrath of men for ends of Divine wisdom When wars are carried on every one

sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the beginning and end of them to chance

On the other hand Isaiah shows that all these things ought to be ascribed to God because he will display

his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he works so as to conceal his hand and to

prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he displays his hand in it in such a manner

that all men are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the prophet meant (Calvin)

II THE WAITING OF JEHOVAH Impressive is the contrast between the noise and stir and agitation

below and the calmness above Jehovah will be stillmdashas the blue sky behind a moving host of clouds

above a surging sea below In the second psalm we have the picture of him sitting in the heavens and

laughing at the vain attempts of the enemies of the Messianic kingdom There are three thoughts here

1 The repose of God It seems as if we must ever contemplate him resting from his toils of designing and

creating and providingmdashentered on an eternal sabbath The consciousness of vast force sleeping held

in reserve we must conceive of in God Hence his stillness amidst our excitement At times when vague

movements are passing through the bosom of society many voices rend the air with opposing cries deep

questions agitate the heart and conscience of thoughtful men We long to hear the one infallible voice to

see the signal extended and yet God speaks not a word Perhaps it may be said a still small voice

saying Be still and know that I am God may be heard by acuter spiritual ears His stillness must be the

effect of infinite strength and profoundest confidence

2 His contemplativeness He looks on in his mansion Not as the Epicureans represented the gods of

the heathen sitting apart reckless of the weal or woe of men but intently watchful of the development of

things the ripening of good the gathering up of evil towards the day of sifting and judgment In a powerful

biblical image his eyes are in every place beholding the good and the evil And our thought to be in

harmony with his must in many matters and at many times fall into the mood of contemplation Instead of

seeking to theorize rashly upon the strange mixture of tendencies life at any troubled epoch presents it

were well to possess our souls in patiencemdashto look on and let both grow together till the harvest

3 His waiting attitude While there is clear heat in sunshine while there are clouds of dew in harvest-

heat he is waiting till the fruit of Assyrian annoyance is all but ripe The heat and the clouds of dew

hasten the powers in nature there are corresponding forces at work in the moral world seen by him to be

working towards certain results God can wait because he knows And may not we in a measure

compose our souls into that attitude of waiting Some things we too know about many others we can

say God knows and so leave them Especially so in times or in moods of alarm In the present case

men below see one picture of the future quite another is seen by God above To them a vast black cloud

is gathering over the horizon he sees the sun that will presently smite it asunder They see a fell harvest

of woe for themselves ripening he has the pruning-knife in his hand with which he will make havoc

among the growth They see an immense host of irresistible warriors he the birds of prey and the beasts

that will soon be feeding upon their remains Let us think of the immense reserves of force at the disposal

of Jehovah The statesman in times of alarm assures a trembling country that the resources of

civilization are not yet exhausted yet they have their limit Behind them lie the absolutely inexhaustible

resources of the living and eternal God Let our hearts be stayed on him and all will be well

III THE EFFECT ON ETHIOPIA They will bring a tribute to Jehovah Sabaoth to the Lord of hosts in his

seat on Mount Zion It is he who has done these things We find the like impressive picture passing

before a prophetic eye in Psa_6832 Kingdoms of splendor come out of Egypt Ethiopia stretches out

her hands to God The gathering of so glorious a people into the true Church is to be the result of the

manifestation of the power of Israels God

LESSONS

1 The providence of God over the Church He shows that he takes care of the Church and that though

he determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their powers In order therefore to excite them to patience

he not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation (Calvin)

2 The indestructibility of the spiritual life This must not be confounded with the institutions in which it

dwells for a time But understanding the Church in the spiritual or mystical sense it cannot perish

Calvin wrote in his day The Church is not far from despair being plundered scattered and everywhere

crushed and trodden underfoot What must be done in straits so numerous and so distressing We ought

to lay hold on these promises so as to believe that God will still preserve the Church The body may be

torn shivered into fragments and scattered still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will

never allow the remembrance and calling on his Name to perish

3 The self-concealment of God The trial of faith in all ages Oh that he would show his face bare his

arm disclose his majesty exert his power appear as Judge to end once for all the strifes of the world

But we must learn to say Gods in his heaven alls right with the world At the proper season he will

come forth If he instantly cut the wicked down and took them away like a sprouting blade of corn his

power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so fully ascertained as when he permits

them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may afterwards fall by their own weight or

like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-knives

4 The unity of religion the prophetic ideal Mount Zion was its ancient symbol for us it is not Rome nor

any other city or mountmdashit is the human heart with all its pathos its faith hope and love its regenerate

life and aspirations it is one spirit universal in mankindmdashJ

12 PULPIT ldquoThe patience of power

The most striking and distinctive truth this chapter contains is that of the patience of Divine power which

permits evil to rise and to mature and which at the right moment effectually intervenes But there are

other points beside this they aremdash

I THE MISDIRECTION OF HUMAN INTELLIGENCE Whatever may be the right translation and the true

application of these verses it is clear that reference is made to a warlike peoplemdasha people terrible to

their neighbors a people of command or treading underfoot aggressive and victorious It shows how

far we have fallen from our first estate and from the condition for which we were created that it does not

strike us as strange that this should be the description of a people that the number of nations whom it

characterizes is so great that we fail to identify the nation which is in the prophets vision Under sin it has

become common not to say natural that a nation should be terrible should be treading down or

crushing and full of commands to its neighbors But to how much better purpose might the strong

peoples of the earth devote their strength God has made rich provision for the peaceable and fruitful

exercise of our largest powers There are rivers and seas (Isa_182) for travelling exploration commerce

there is vegetation (bulrushes papyrus) which may be made to carry mens bodies or which by the

exercise of human ingenuity may be made to convey their thoughts to distant lands and remotest times

there is land and there are seeds there is sunshine and there is dew which can be made to produce

golden harvests that will satisfy mans wants and minister to his most refined tastes (Isa_184 Isa_185)

there are birds and beasts (Isa_186) with whose habits men may become intelligently familiar there is

wealth beneath the soil in precious metals which can not only be raised and collected to enrich the

homes of men but which can be conveyed as the tribute of piety to the house of the Lord (Isa_187)

But despising and neglecting such materials and such ambitions as these nations have aspired to rule

over othersmdashhave perfected themselves in all the arts and enginery of war have congratulated

themselves on nothing so much as in being terrible to those on the other side the river or across the

mountain range

II THE COMPLETENESS OF MANS OVERTHROW IN THE DAY OF DIVINE ANGER The destruction

threatened (Isa_185 Isa_186) probably refers to that of the army of Sennacherib but if the reference be

to some other national calamity it certainly points to an overthrow signal and fearful from which the

imagination turns away oppressed So has it been found both by individual men and nations that when

God arises to judgment their feeble defenses are scattered to the winds and their doom is utterly

irreversible by anything they can do to mend it (see Psa_21-12 6317-20 Psa_926 Psa_929)

III THE LESSON OF GODS JUDGMENTS The result in this case is seen in the bringing of a tribute to

the Lord (Isa_187) If God puts forth his power in overwhelming retribution it is chiefly if not wholly that

they who witness it (men or nations) may repent of their own misdeeds or impiety and may return unto

the Lord in penitence in prayer in consecration for the most acceptable present that can be brought

unto the Lord of hosts is the humbled believing obedient heart

IV THE PATIENCE OF DIVINE POWER (Isa_184) The Lord said I will fake my rest [I will be calm or

still] I will consider in my dwelling-place [I will look on from my habitation] like a clear heat upon herbs

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest God will not be provoked into hurried and impatient judgments

he will retain a Divine composure he will manifest the patience which belongs to conscious power the

heavens should be as still as on the calmest summer day while evil was working to its bitter end while sin

was advancing to its doom Here is a contrast to us and here are lessons for us We in our finite

feebleness are often impatient in spirit and hurried in action We are afraid that if we do not strike at

once we shall not have time to strike at all or that our resources of retribution will fall or that our

adversary will be out of our reach God can entertain no such fear and be affected by no such thought

1 All time is at his command

2 All resources are in his hands

3 The men (nations) whom he may find it needful to chastise can never be beyond the reach of his

power

Hence his calmness in place of our confusion his patience in contrast with our feverish restlessness

(1) Let not the wicked presume on Divine disregard God will put forth his hand in punishment at his own

chosen time

(2) Let not the righteous be surprised or disheartened by his delay he does not count time by our

chronometry he has not the reasons for haste which urge us to immediate action the hour of his merciful

intervention will arrive in timemdashC

2 which sends envoys by sea

in papyrus boats over the water

Go swift messengers

to a people tall and smooth-skinned

to a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by rivers

1BARNES ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors - That is ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send messengers What was the design of their thus sending ambassadors does not appear The prophet simply intimates the fact a fact by which they were well known It may have been for purposes of commerce or to seek protection Bochart renders the word translated lsquoambassadorsrsquo by ldquoimagesrdquo and supposes that it denotes an image of the god Osiris made of the papyrus but there

does not seem to be any reason for this opinion The word ציר tsıyr may mean an idol or image

as in Isa_4516 Psa_4915 But it usually denotes ambassadors or messengers Jos_94 Pro_2513 Pro_1317 Isa_579 Jer_4914 Oba_11

By the sea - What ldquoseardquo is here meant cannot be accurately determined The word lsquosearsquo (ים ya

m) is applied to various collections of water and may be used in reference to a sea a lake a

pond and even a large river It is often applied to the Mediterranean and where the phrase ldquoGreat Seardquo occurs it denotes that Num_346-7 Deu_1124 It is applied to the Lake of Gennesareth or the Sea of Galilee Num_3411 to the Salt Sea Gen_143 to the Red Sea often (Exo_1310 Num_1425 Num_214 Num_3310 ldquoet alrdquo) It is also applied to ldquoa large riverrdquo as ldquoe g the Nilerdquo Isa_195 Neh_38 and to the Euphrates Jer_5136 So far as this ldquowordrdquo is concerned therefore it may denote either the Mediterranean the Red Sea the Nile or the Euphrates If the country spoken of is Upper Egypt or Nubia then we are naturally led to suppose that the prophet refers either to the Nile or the Red Sea

Even in vessels of bulrushes - The word rendered lsquobulrushesrsquo (גמא gome) is derived from

the verb גמא gama ldquoto swallow sip drinkrdquo and is given to a reed or bulrush from its ldquoimbibingrdquo

water It is usually applied in the Scriptures to the Egyptian ldquopapyrusrdquo - a plant which grew on the banks of the Nile and from which we have derived our word ldquopaperrdquo lsquoThis plantrsquo says Taylor (ldquoHeb Conrdquo) lsquogrew in moist places near the Nile and was four or five yards in height Under the bark it consisted wholly of thin skins which being separated and spread out were applied to various uses Of these they made boxes and chests and even boats smearing them over with pitchrsquo These laminoe or skins also served the purpose of paper and were used instead of parchment or plates of lead and copper for writing on This plant the Cyperus Papyrus of modern botanists mostly grew in Lower Egypt in marshy land or in shallow brooks and ponds formed by the inundation of the Nile lsquoThe papyrusrsquo says Pliny lsquogrows in the marsh lands of Egypt or in the stagnant pools left inland by the Nile after it has returned to its bed which have not more than two cubits in depth

The root of the plant is the thickness of a manrsquos arm it has a triangular stalk growing not higher than ten cubits (fifteen feet) and decreasing in breadth toward the summit which is crowned with a thyrsus containing no seeds and of no use except to deck the statues of the gods They employ the roots as firewood and for making various utensils They even construct small boats of the plant and out of the rind sails mats clothes bedding ropes they eat it either crude or cooked swallowing only the juice and when they manufacture paper from it they divide the stem by means of a kind of needle into thin plates or laminae each of which is as large as the plant will admit All the paper is woven upon a table and is continually moistened with Nile water which being thick and slimy furnishes an effectual species of glue In the first place they form upon a table pefectly horizontal a layer the whole length of the papyrus which is crossed by another placed transversely and afterward enclosed within a press

The different sheets are then hung in a situation exposed to the sun in order to dry and the process is finally completed by joining them together beginning with the best There are seldom more than twenty slips or stripes produced from one stem of the plantrsquo (Pliny xiii 11 12) Wilkinson remarks that lsquothe mode of making papyri was this the interior of the stalks of the plant after the rind had been removed was cut into thin slices in the direction of their length and these being laid on a flat board in succession similar slices were placed over them at right angles and their surfaces being cemented together by a sort of glue and subjected to the proper deuce of pressure and well dried the papyrus was completedrsquo (ldquoAncient Egyptiansrdquo vol iii p 148) The word used here is translated lsquobulrushesrsquo in Exo_23 where the little ark is described in which Moses was laid near the Nile the lsquorushrsquo in Job_811 and lsquorushesrsquo in Isa_357

It does not elsewhere occur That the ancients were in the practice of making light boats or vessels from the papyrus is well known Thus Theophrastus (in the ldquoHistory of Plantsrdquo iv 9)

says that lsquothe papyrus is useful for many things for from this they make vesselsrsquo or ships (πλοeα

ploia) Thus Pliny (xiii 11 22) says ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt - lsquofrom the papyrus

they weave vesselsrsquo Again (vi 56 57) lsquoEven nowrsquo says he lsquoin the Britannic Ocean useful vessels are made of bark on the Nile from the papyrus and from reeds and rushesrsquo Plutarch describes Isis going in search of the body of Osiris lsquothrough the fenny country in a bark made of the

papyrus (fνβαριδιπαπυοινη en baridi papnoine) where it is supposed that persons using boats of

this description (fνπαπυρινοιςhκαφεσιπλωοντας en papurinois okaphisi pleontas) are never attacked by crocodiles out of respect to the goddessrsquo (De Isa_181-7) Moses also it will be remembered was exposed on the banks of the Nile in a similar boat or ark lsquoShe took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it With slime and with pitch and put the child thereinrsquo Exo_23

The same word occurs here (גמא gome) which is used by Isaiah and this fact shows that such boats were known as early as the time of Moses Lucan also mentions boats made of the papyrus at Memphis

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro - Phar iv 136

At Memphis boats are woven together from the marshy papyrus

The sculptures of Thebes Memphis and other places abundantly show that they were employed as punts or canoes for fishing in all parts of Egypt during the inundation of the Nilersquo (Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians vol iii p 186) In our own country also it will be remembered the natives were accustomed to make canoes or vessels of the bark of the birch with which they

often adventured on even dangerous navigation The circumstance here mentioned of the גמא go

me (the papyrus) seems to fix the scene of this prophecy to the region of the Nile This reed

grew nowhere else and it is natural therefore to suppose that some nation living near the Nile is intended Taylor the editor of Calmet has shown that the inhabitants of the upper regions of the Nile were accustomed to form floats of hollow earthen vessels and to weave them together with rushes and thus to convey them to Lower Egypt to market He supposes that by lsquovessels of bulrushesrsquo or rush floats are meant such vessels (For a description of the ldquofloatsrdquo made in Upper Egypt with ldquojarsrdquo see Pocockersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo vol i p 84 Ed London 1743) lsquoI first saw in this voyage (on the Nile) the large floats of earthen-ware they are about thirty feet wide and sixty feet long being a frame of palm boughs tied together about four feet deep on which they put a layer of large jars with the mouths uppermost on these they make another floor and then put on another layer of jars and so a third which last are so disposed as to trim the float and leave room for the men to go between The float lies across the river one end being lower down than the other toward the lower end on each side they have four long poles with which they row and direct the boat as well as forward the motion downrsquo Mr Bruce in his ldquoTravelsrdquo mentions vessels made of the papyrus in Abyssinia

Upon the waters - The waters of the Nile or the Red Sea

Saying - This word is not in the Hebrew and the introduction of it by the translators gives a peculiar and probably an incorrect sense to the whole passage As it stands here it would seem to be the language of the inhabitants of the land who sent the ambassadors usually saying to their messengers to go to a distant nation and this introduces an inquiry into the characteristics of the nation to ldquowhomrdquo the ambassadors are sent as if it were a ldquodifferentrdquo people from those who are mentioned in Isa_171 But probably the words which follow are to be regarded as the words of the prophet or of God Isa_174 giving commandment to those messengers to ldquoreturnrdquo to those who sent them and deliver the message which follows lsquoYou send messengers to distant nations in reed boats upon the rivers Return says God to the land which sent you foth and

announce to them the will of God Go rapidly in your light vessels and bear this message for it shall speedily be executed and I will sit calmly and see it donersquo Isa_174-6 A remarkably similar passage which throws great light on this occurs in Eze_309 lsquoIn that day shall messengers go forth from me (God) in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it comethrsquo

Go ye swift messengers - Hebrew lsquoLight messengersrsquo This is evidently addressed to the boats Achilles Tatius says that they were frequently so light and small that they would carry but one person (Rosenmuller)

To a nation - What nation this was is not known The ldquoobviousrdquo import of the passge is that it was some nation to whom they were ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send ambassadors and that it is here added merely as ldquodescriptiverdquo of the people Two or three characterstics of the nation are mentioned from which we may better learn what people are referred to

Scattered - (ממשך memushak) This word is derived from משך mashak ldquoto seize take hold fastrdquo to draw out extend or prolong to make double or strong to spread out The Septuagint

renders it kθνοςmicroετέωρον Ethnos meteoron - lsquoA lofty nationrsquo Chaldee lsquoA people suffering violencersquo Syraic lsquoA nation distortedrsquo Vulgate lsquoA people convulsed and laceratedrsquo It ldquomayrdquo denote a people ldquospread outrdquo over a great extent of country or a people ldquodrawn out in lengthrdquo - that is extended over a country of considerable length but of comparatively narrow breadth as Egypt is so Vitringa understands it Or it may mean a people ldquostrong valiantrdquo so Gesenius understands it This best suits the connection as being a people lsquoterrible hithertorsquo Perhaps all these ideas may be united by the supposition that the nation was drawn out or extended over a large region and was ldquothereforerdquo a powerful or mighty people The idea of its being ldquoscatteredrdquo is not in the text Taylor renders it lsquoA people of short stature contracted in height that is dwarfsrsquo But the idea in the text is not one that is descriptive of ldquoindividualsrdquo but of the ldquocollectedrdquo nation the people

And peeled - (מרט moratʖ from מרט maratʖ) to make smooth or sharpen as a swordrdquo Ezek

2114-32 then to make smooth the head of any one to pluck off his hair Ezr_93 Neh_1325

Isa_506) The Septuagint renders it Ξένονλαpνκαχαλεπόν Cenon laon kai chalepon - lsquoA foreign and wicked peoplersquo Vulgate lsquoTo a people laceratedrsquo The Syriac renders the whole verse lsquoGo swift messengers to a people perverse and torn to a people whose strength has been long since taken away a people defiled and trodden down whose land the rivers have spoiledrsquo The word used here is capable of two significations

(1) It may denote a people who are shaved or made smooth by removing the hair from the body It is known to have been the custom with the Egyptians to make their bodies smooth by shaving off the hair as Herodotus testifies (xi 37) Or

(2) It may be translated as Gesenius proposes a people valiant fierce bold from the sense which the verb has ldquoto sharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115-16

The former is the most obvious interpretation and agrees best with the proper meaning of the Hebrew word the latter would perhaps better suit the connection The editor of Calmer supposes that it is to be taken in the sense of ldquodiminished small dwarfishrdquo and would apply it to the ldquopigmiesrdquo of Upper Egypt

To a people terrible - That is warlike fierce cruel Hebrew lsquoA people fearedrsquo If the Egyptians are meant it may refer to the fact that they had always been an object of terror and alarm to the Israelites from their early oppressions there before their deliverance under Moses

From their beginning hitherto - Hebrew lsquoFrom this time and formerlyrsquo It has been their general character that they were a fierce harsh oppressive nation Gesenius however renders this lsquoTo the formidable nation (and) further beyondrsquo and supposes that two nations are referred

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

that is so that the shadow of objects is cast one half of the year on the north side and the other half on the south The word lsquowingsrsquo is applied in the Scriptures to the following things namely

(1) The wing of a fowl This is the literal and common signification

(2) The skirts borders or lower parts of a garment from the resemblance to wings Num_1538 1Sa_245 1Sa_2411 Zec_813 Also a bed-covering Deu_331

(3) The extremities or borders of a country or of the world Job_373 Isa_2416 Eze_173 Eze_177

(4) The ldquowingrdquo or extremity of an army as we use the word ldquowingrdquo Isa_88 Jer_4840 Dan_927

(5) The expanding rays of the morning because the light ldquoexpands or spreads outrdquo like wings Psa_1399 Mal_42

(6) The ldquowindrdquo - resembling wings in rapid motion Psa_1810 Psa_1821 Psa_1043 Hos_419

(7) The battlement or pinnacle of the temple - or perhaps the porches extended on each side of the temple like wings (Dan_927 compare Mat_45)

(8) ldquoProtectionrdquo - as wings are a protection to young birds in their nest (see Psa_188 Psa_367 Psa_614 Psa_914 Mat_2337) It has been proposed by some to apply this description to ldquoshipsrdquo or the sails of vessels as if a land was designated which was covered with ldquosailsrdquo or the ldquowingsrdquo of vessels So the Septuagint and the Chaldee But there is no instance in which the word ldquowingsrdquo is so applied in the Scriptures

The expression used here ldquomayrdquo therefore be applied to many things and it is not easy to determine its signification The ldquogeneralrdquo idea is that of ldquosomethingrdquo that abounds in the land that is stretched out or expanded that as it were ldquocoversrdquo it and so abounds as to make a shade or shadow everywhere And it may be applied

(1) to a nation that abounds with birds or fowls so that they might be said to shade the land

(2) to a nation abounding with locusts shading the land or making a rustling noise or

(3) to a nation furnishing protection or stretching out its wings as it were for the defense of a feeble people So Vitringa interprets this place and supposes that it refers to Egypt as being the nation where the Hebrews sought protection Or

(4) to a country that is shaded with trees mountains or hills So Grotius supposes it means here and thinks that it refers to Ethiopia as being bounded by high hills or mountains

(5) It ldquomayrdquo mean a people distinguished for navigation - abounding in ldquosailsrdquo of vessels - as if they were everywhere spread out like wings So the Septuagint and the Chaldee understand this and the interpretation has some plausibility from the fact that light vessels are immediately mentioned

(6) The editor of Calmetrsquos ldquoDictionaryrdquo supposes that it refers to the ldquowinged Cnephimrdquo which are sculptured over the temple gates in Upper-Egypt They are emblematic representatives of the god ldquoCnephrdquo to which the temples are dedicated and abound in Upper Egypt The symbol of the ldquowingsrdquo is supposed to denote the ldquoprotectionrdquo which the god extended over the land

(7) Gesenius (ldquoCom on Isaiahrdquo) renders it lsquoland rustling with wingsrsquo and supposes that the word rendered lsquoshadowingrsquo denotes the ldquorustlingrdquo sound that is made by the clangor of weapons of war Amidst this variety of interpretation it is perhaps not possible to determine the meaning of the phrase It has no parallel expression to illustrate it and its meaning must be left to conjecture

Almost anyone of the above significations will suit the connection and it is not very material which is chosen The one that perhaps best suits the connection is that of the Septuagint and

the Chaldee which refers it to the multitude of ships that expand their sails and appear to fill all the waters of the land with wings

Which is beyond - (מעבר me‛eber) This does not of necessity mean ldquobeyondrdquo though that

is its usual signification It properly means ldquofrom the passing the passages the crossing overrdquo of a river and may be rendered what is on the other side or over against It sometimes means on this side as if used by one living on the other side Deu_449 Jos_1327 1Ki_424 in which places it has not the sense of ldquobeyondrdquo but means either on this side or lying alongside The sense here is probably that this country was situated ldquonot farrdquo from the rivers of Cush ldquoprobablyrdquo beyond them but still it is implied that they were not ldquofarrdquo beyond them but were rather at their passings over or crossing-places that is near them

The rivers of Ethiopia - Hebrew lsquoRivers of Cushrsquo (On the meaning of the word lsquoCushrsquo see the note at Isa_1111) It is sometimes applicable to Ethiopia or Nubia - that is the portion of Egypt above the cataracts of the Nile Compare Jer_1323 lsquoCan the Ethiopian (the ldquoCushiterdquo) change his skinrsquo (see also Eze_2910) This word does not determine with certainty the country to which reference is made - for the country of Cush ldquomayrdquo mean that east of the Euphrates or southern Arabia or southern Egypt Egypt and Cush are however sometimes connected (2Ki_199 Psa_6831 Isa_203 Isa_433 Nah_39 compare Dan_1143) The ldquoprobabilityrdquo from the use of this word is that some part of Upper Egypt is intended Ethiopia in part lies beyond the most considerable of the streams that make up the river Nile

2 CLARKE ldquoWo to the land - הויארץ hoiarets This interjection should be translated ho for it is properly a particle of calling Ho land Attend Give ear

Shadowing with wings ldquoThe winged cymbalrdquo - צלצלכנפים tsiltsalkenaphayim I adopt this as the most probable of the many interpretations that have been given of these words It is Bochartrsquos see Phaleg 42 The Egyptian sistrum is expressed by a periphrasis the Hebrews had no name for it in their language not having in use the instrument itself The cymbal they had was an instrument in its use and sound not much unlike the sistrum and to distinguish it from the sistrum they called it the cymbal with wings The cymbal was a round hollow piece of metal which being struck against another gave a ringing sound the sistrum was a round instrument consisting of a broad rim of metal through which from side to side ran several loose laminae or small rods of metal which being shaken gave a like sound These projecting on each side had somewhat the appearance of wings or might be very properly expressed by the same word which the Hebrews used for wings or for the extremity or a part of any thing projecting The sistrum is given in a medal of Adrian as the proper attribute of Egypt See Addison on Medals Series 3 No 4 where the figure of it may be seen The frame of the sistrum was in shape rather like the ancient lyre it was not round

If we translate shadowing with wings it may allude to the multitude of its vessels whose sails may be represented under the notion of wings The second verse seems to support this

interpretation Vessels of bulrushes גמא gome or rather the flag papyrus so much celebrated as

the substance on which people wrote in ancient times and from which our paper is denominated The sails might have been made of this flag but whole canoes were constructed from it Mat sails are used to the present day in China The Vulgate fully understood the meaning of the word and has accordingly translated in vasis papyri ldquoin vessels of papyrusrdquo Reshi vesselis - Old MS Bib This interpretation does not please Bp Lowth and for his dissent he gives the following reasons -

In opposition to other interpretations of these words which have prevailed it may be briefly

observed that צלצל tsiltsel is never used to signify shadow nor is כנף canaph applied to the sails of ships If therefore the words are rightly interpreted the winged cymbal meaning the sistrum Egypt must be the country to which the prophecy is addressed And upon this hypothesis the version and explanation must proceed I farther suppose that the prophecy was delivered before Sennacheribrsquos return from his Egyptian expedition which took up three years and that it was designed to give to the Jews and perhaps likewise to the Egyptians an intimation of Godrsquos counsels in regard to the destruction of their great and powerful enemy

Which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia ldquoWhich borders on the rivers of Cushrdquo - What are the rivers of Cush whether the eastern branches of the lower Nile the boundary of Egypt towards Arabia or the parts of the upper Nile towards Ethiopia it is not easy to

determine The word מעבר meeber signifies either on this side or on the farther side I have made

use of the same kind of ambiguous expression in the translation

3 GILL ldquoWoe to the land shadowing with wings Or O land as calling to it so Aben Ezra and Kimchi It is very difficult to determine what land is here meant some think the land of Assyria is here designed as Aben Ezra and others and so it is a continuation of the prophecy concerning the destruction of the Assyrians in the three last verses of the preceding chapter Isa_1712 the stretching out of whose wings is mentioned Isa_88 and thought to be referred to here others are of opinion that the land of Judea is intended which trusted under the shadow of the wings of Egypt and Ethiopia to whom the characters in the next verse Isa_182 are supposed to belong but the more generally received sense is that either Egypt or Ethiopia themselves are pointed at described as shadowing with wings not with the wings of birds as Jarchi interprets it which flocked thither in great numbers the country being hot and so shaded it with their wings but rather with mountains with which Ethiopia at least some part of it was encompassed and shaded or else with ships whose sails are like wings and which resorting hither in numerous fleets of them and hovering about their coasts and ports seemed to shadow them to which agrees the Septuagint version Woe to the land the wings of ships and so the Targum Woe to the land to which they come in ships from a far country whose sails are stretched out as an eagle that flies with its wings so Manasseh Ben Israel (c) renders them Woe to the land which under the shadow of veils falls beyond the rivers of Ethiopia The word translated shadowing is used for a cymbal 2Sa_65 Psa_1505 and so it is rendered here in the Vulgate Latin version Woe to the land with the cymbal of wings and some think the sistrum is meant which was a musical instrument used by the Egyptians in their worship of Isis and which had wings to it or had transverse rods in the middle of it which looked like wings one of which may be seen in Pignorius (d) and so it describes the land of Egypt famous for its winged cymbals Minucius Felix (e) makes mention of the swallow along with the sistrum which was a bird of Isis and which some say was placed over the statue of Isis with its wings stretched out

Which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia the principal of which were Astaboras and Astapus (f) and also Nile itself which came out of Ethiopia into Egypt or which is on this side of the rivers of Ethiopia (g) and so may intend Egypt which bordered on this side of it towards Judea or which is beside the rivers of Ethiopia (h) and so may denote Ethiopia itself situated by these rivers The Targum renders it the rivers of Judea Some would have it that the rivers of Arabia Chusaea are meant which lay between Judea and Egypt as Besor Rhinocorura Trajan and Corys and Arabia seems rather to be meant by Cush than Ethiopia in Africa since that lay beyond the rivers of Egypt rather than Egypt beyond the rivers of Ethiopia

4 HENRY ldquoInterpreters are very much at a loss where to find this land that lies beyond the

rivers of Cush Some take it to be Egypt a maritime country and full of rivers and which

courted Israel to depend upon them but proved broken reeds but against this it is strongly

objected that the next chapter is distinguished from this by the title of the burden of Egypt

Others take it to be Ethiopia and read it which lies near or about the rivers of Ethiopia not

that in Africa which lay south of Egypt but that which we call Arabia which lay east of Canaan

which Tirhakah was now king of He thought to protect the Jews as it were under the shadow

of his wings by giving a powerful diversion to the king of Assyria when he made a descent upon

his country at the time that he was attacking Jerusalem 2Ki_199 But though by his

ambassadors he bade defiance to the king of Assyria and encouraged the Jews to depend upon

him God by the prophet slights him and will not go forth with him he may take his own course

but God will take another course to protect Jerusalem while he suffers the attempt of Tirhakah

to miscarry and his Arabian army to be ruined for the Assyrian army shall become a present or

sacrifice to the Lord of hosts and to the place of his name by the hand of an angel not by the

hand of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia Isa_187 This is a very probable exposition of this chapter

But from a hint of Dr Lightfoots in his Harmony of the Old Testament I incline to understand

this chapter as a prophecy against Assyria and so a continuation of the prophecy in the last

three verses of the foregoing chapter with which therefore this should be joined That was

against the army of the Assyrians which rushed in upon Judah this is against the land of Assyria

itself which lay beyond the rivers of Arabia that is the rivers Euphrates and Tigris which

bordered on Arabia Deserta And in calling it the land shadowing with wings he seems to refer

to what he himself had said of it (Isa_88) that the stretching out of his wings shall fill the

breadth of thy land O Immanuel The prophet might perhaps describe the Assyrians by such

dark expressions not naming them for the same reason that St Paul in his prophecy speaks of

the Roman empire by a periphrasis He who now letteth 2Th_27 Here is

5 JAMISON ldquo

Isa_181-7 Isaiah announces the overthrow of Sennacheribrsquos hosts and desires the Ethiopian ambassadors now in Jerusalem to bring word of it to their own nation and he calls on the whole world to witness the event (Isa_183) As Isa_1712-14 announced the presence of the foe so Isa_181-7 foretells his overthrow

Woe mdash The heading in English Version ldquoGod will destroy the Ethiopiansrdquo is a mistake arising from the wrong rendering ldquoWoerdquo whereas the Hebrew does not express a threat but is an appeal calling attention (Isa_551 Zec_26) ldquoHordquo He is not speaking against but to the Ethiopians calling on them to hear his prophetical announcement as to the destruction of their enemies

shadowing with wings mdash rather ldquoland of the winged barkrdquo that is ldquobarks with wing-like sails answering to vessels of bulrushesrdquo in Isa_182 the word ldquoriversrdquo in the parallelism also favors it so the Septuagint and Chaldee [Ewald] ldquoLand of the clanging sound of wingsrdquo that is armies as in Isa_88 the rendering ldquobarkrdquo or ldquoshiprdquo is rather dubious [Maurer] The armies referred to are those of Tirhakah advancing to meet the Assyrians (Isa_379) In English Version ldquoshadowingrdquo means protecting - stretching out its wings to defend a feeble people namely the Hebrews [Vitringa] The Hebrew for ldquowingsrdquo is the same as for the idol Cneph which was represented in temple sculptures with wings (Psa_914)

beyond mdash Meroe the island between the ldquoriversrdquo 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 ldquoTirhakahrdquo in the inscriptions This island region was probably the chief part of Queen Candacersquos kingdom (Act_827) For ldquobeyondrdquo others translate less literally ldquowhich borderest onrdquo

Ethiopia mdash literally ldquoCushrdquo Horsley is probably right that the ultimate and fullest reference of the prophecy is to the restoration of the Jews in the Holy Land through the instrumentality of some distant people skilled in navigation (Isa_182 Isa_609 Isa_6010 Psa_4515 Psa_6831 Zep_310) Phoenician voyagers coasting along would speak of all Western remote lands as ldquobeyondrdquo the Nilersquos mouths ldquoCushrdquo 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 (Gen_213)

6 KampD 1-3 ldquoThe prophecy commences with hoi which never signifies heus but always vae

(woe) Here however it differs from Isa_1712 and is an expression of compassion (cf Isa_551 Zec_210) rather than of anger for the fact that the mighty Ethiopia is oppressed by the still mightier Asshur is a humiliation which Jehovah has prepared for the former Isa_181 Isa_182 ldquoWoe to the land of the whirring of wings which is beyond the rivers of Cush that sends ambassadors into the sea and in boats of papyrus over the face of the watersrdquo The land

of Cush commences according to Eze_2910 (cf Isa_306) where Upper Egypt ends The Seve

neh (Aswan) mentioned by Ezekiel is the boundary-point at which the Nile enters Mizraim

proper and which is still a depot for goods coming from the south down the Nile The nahare-

Cush (rivers of Cush) are chiefly those that surround the Cushite Seba (Gen_107) This is the

name given to the present Sennacircr the Meroitic island which is enclosed between the White and Blue Nile (the Astapos of Ptolemy or the present Bahr el-Abyad and the Astaboras of Ptolemy or the present Bahr el-Azrak) According to the latest researches more especially those of Speke the White Nile which takes its rise in the Lake of Nyanza is the chief source of the Nile

The latter and the Blue Nile whose confluence (makran) with it takes place in lat 15deg 25acute are

fed by many larger or smaller tributary streams (as well as mountain torrents) the Blue Nile

even more than the Nile proper And this abundance of water in the land to the south of Seveneh and still farther south beyond Seba (or Meroeuml) might very well have been known to the prophet as a general fact The land ldquobeyond the rivers of Cushrdquo is the land bounded by the sources of the Nile ie (including Ethiopia itself in the stricter sense of the word) the south land under Ethiopian rule that lay still deeper in the heart of the country the land of its African auxiliary tribes whose names (which probably include the later Nubians and Abyssinians) as given in 2Ch_123 Nah_39 Eze_305 Jer_469 suppose a minuteness of information which has not yet been attained by modern research To this Ethiopia which is designated by its farthest limits (compare Zep_310 where Wolff in his book of Judith erroneously supposes Media to be

intended as the Asiatic Cush) the prophets give the strange name of eretz tziltzal cenap This has been interpreted as meaning ldquothe land of the wings of an army with clashing armsrdquo by Gesenius

and others but cenaphaim does not occur in this sense like agappim in Ezekiel Others render it

ldquothe land of the noise of wavesrdquo (Umbreit) but cenaphaim cannot be used of waters except in

such a connection as Isa_88 Moreover tziltzal is not a fitting onomatopoetic word either for

the clashing of arms or the noise of waves Others again render it ldquothe land of the double shadowrdquo (Grotius Vitringa Knobel and others) but however appropriate this epithet might be to Ethiopia as a tropical land it is very hazardous to take the word in a sense which is not sustained by the usage of the language and the same objection may be brought against Luzzattos ldquoland of the far-shadowing defencerdquo Shelling has also suggested another objection - namely that the shadow thrown even in tropical lands is not a double one falling northwards and southwards at the same time and therefore that it cannot be figuratively described as

double-winged Tziltzal cenaphaim is the buzzing of the wings of insects with which Egypt and

Ethiopia swarmed on account of the climate and the abundance of water צלצל constr צלצל tinnitus stridor a primary meaning from which the other three meanings of the word-cymbal harpoon (a whirring dart) and grasshopper

(Note Schroumlring supposes tziltzal to be the scarabaeus sacer (Linn) but it would be much

more natural if any particular animal is intended to think of the tzaltzalya as it is called in

the language of the Gallas the tzetze in the Betschuana language the most dreaded diptera

of the interior of Africa a species of glossina which attacks all the larger mammalia (though not men) Vid Hartmann Naturgeschichtlich-medic Skizze der Nillaumlnder Abth i p 205)

- are derived In Isa_718 the forces of Egypt are called ldquothe fly from the end of the rivers of Egyptrdquo Here Egypt and Ethiopia are called the land of the whirring of wings inasmuch as the prophet had in his mind under the designation of swarms of insects the motley swarms of different people included in this great kingdom that were so fabulously strange to an Asiatic Within this great kingdom messengers were now passing to and fro upon its great waters in

boats of papyrus (on gome Copt ‛gome Talm gami see at Job_811) Greek βαρίδεςπαπύριναι (β

αρίς from the Egyptian bari bali a barque) In such vessels as these and with Egyptian tackle they went as far as the remote island of Taprobane The boats were made to clap together

(pilcatiles) so as to be carried past the cataracts (Parthey on Plutarch de Iside pp 198-9) And it

is to these messengers in their paper boats that the appeal of the prophet is addressed

He sends them home and what they are to say to their own people is generalized into an announcement to the whole earth ldquoGo swift messengers to the people stretched out and polished to the terrible people far away on the other side to the nation of command upon

command and treading down whose land rivers cut through All ye possessors of the globe and inhabitants of the earth when a banner rises on the mountains look ye and when they blow the trumpets hearkenrdquo We learn from what follows to what it is that the attention of Ethiopia and all the nations of the earth is directed it is the destruction of Asshur by Jehovah They are to attend when they observe the two signals the banner and the trumpet-blast these are decisive moments Because Jehovah was about to deliver the world from the conquering might of Assyria against which the Ethiopian kingdom was now summoning all the means of self-defence the prophet sends the messengers home Their own people to which he sends them

home are elaborately described They are memusshak stretched out ie very tall (lxx Kθνοςmicroετέ

ωρον) just as the Sabaeans are said to have been in Isa_4514 They are also morat = memorat (Ges sect52 Anm 6) smoothed politus ie either not disfigured by an ugly growth of hair or else without any reference to depilation but rather with reference to the bronze colour of their skin smooth and shining with healthy freshness The description which Herodotus gives of the

Ethiopians microέγιστοικακάλλιστοιQνθρώπωνπάντων (iii 20) quite answers to these first two predicates They are still further described with reference to the wide extent of their kingdom

which reached to the remotest south as ldquothe terrible nation הSאמן־הו והל rdquo ie from this point

where the prophet meets with the messengers farther and farther off (compare 1Sa_2021-22 but not 1Sa_189 where the expression has a chronological meaning which would be less

suitable here where everything is so pictorial and which is also to be rejected because אמן־הו

cannot be equivalent to הוא cf Nah_29) We may see from Isa_2810 Isa_2813 what ka מאשר

v (kaZv with connecting accusatives and before makkeph) a measuring or levelling line signifies

when used by the prophet with the reduplication which he employs here it is a people of ldquocommand upon commandrdquo - that is to say a commanding nation (according to Ewald

Knobel and others kav is equivalent to the Arabic kuwe strength a nation of double or gigantic

strength) ldquoA people of treading downrdquo (sc of others mebusah is a second genitive to goi) ie one which subdues and tramples down wherever it appears These are all distinctive predicates - a nation of imposing grandeur a ruling and conquering nation The last predicate extols its

fertile land זא we take not in the sense of diripere or as equivalent to bazaz like מ^ס to melt

equivalent to masas but in the sense of findere ie as equivalent to בזע like מא_ to sip = מע_ For it is no praise to say that a land is scoured out or washed away by rivers Boumlttcher who is wrong in describing this chapter as ldquoperhaps the most difficult in the whole of the Old

Testamentrdquo very aptly compares with it the expression used by Herodotus (ii 108) κατετmicroήθηb

Αdγυπτος But why this strange elaboration instead of the simple name There is a divine irony in

the fact that a nation so great and glorious and (though not without reason considering its natural gifts) so full of self-consciousness should be thrown into such violent agitation in the prospect of the danger that threatened it and should be making such strenuous exertions to avert that danger when Jehovah the God of Israel was about to destroy the threatening power itself in a night and consequently all the care and trouble of Ethiopia were utterly needless

7 BI ldquoThe Ethiopians

The people here peculiarly described are the Ethiopians and the prophet prophesies the effect on Ethiopia of the judgment concerning Assyria which Jehovah executes as Drechsler has

convincingly proved and as is now universally recognised (F Delitzsch)

Ethiopia

What land is it of which the prophet speaks It is no doubt Ethiopia itself a great kingdom in the olden time For although he says ldquobeyond the rivers of Ethiopiardquo that is the Blue Nile and the White Nile and the Astaboras the meaning is perhaps more accurately ldquobesiderdquo those rivers In any event the ancient land of Ethiopia reached out to the south far beyond the confluence of those rivers in the mighty Nile including probably all upper Egypt beyond Philae Nubia and the northern portion of modern Abyssinia It was a fertile country very rich in gold ivory ebony frankincense and precious stones A country thickly inhabited by a stalwart well-formed race ldquomen of staturerdquo the prophet calls them who if they were black were yet comely It was a mighty kingdom for many centuries a rival of Egypt sometimes its enemy and apparently even its conqueror a kingdom able to make war against the Assyrians and a kingdom too carrying on a great trade by means of abundant merchandise with many people (A Ritchie)

ldquoThe land shadowing with wingsrdquo

1 Full of poetic suggestion is the expression ldquoshadowing with wingsrdquo The thought is of tender protection as the mother bird hovers over and shields her young The Psalmist is never tired of crying out to God ldquoHide me under the covering of Thy wingsrdquo It was right that Israel and Judah should cry thus to Jehovah for protection but not that they should look to the shadowing wings of Ethiopia Just as it was pathetically true that in later times our Lord should say of the Holy City ldquoO Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thy children together even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would notrdquomdashso seven hundred years earlier it was true that Judah would not seek refuge under the wings of the Lord but under the shadowing of Egypt and the covering of Ethiopia

2 In the Revised Version we have the passage rendered ldquoAh the land of the rustling of wingsrdquo Some of the old commentators find in this an allusion to the multitude of bees and the swarms of flies in Ethiopia so that there the hum of wings was never absent More picturesque is another suggestion that the reference is to the ever plashing waters of the rivers hurrying along with swift current in rapids and through cataracts until the broad bosom of father Nile was reached The swish and lapping of the rushing waters seemed to the poet like the noise made by the swift flight of many birds beating the air with strong pinions as they sweep on towards the horizon

3 If we turn to the Septuagint the Greek Old Testament we read the text thus ldquoWoe to you ye wings of the land of shipsrdquo What are the wings of the land of ships but the many sails whereby those ships flit hither and thither One sees before him a new picture The graceful dahabiehs with their long yards and triangular sails dotting the water everywhere and naturally suggesting great sea birds with outspread wings shining in the starlight white and ghostly on the calm surface of the mysterious river which is Egyptrsquos life

4 Some of the more acute Hebrew scholars point out that it is possible to understand the prophetrsquos language in yet another way ldquoWoe to the land where the shadow falleth both waysrdquo that is of course near the Equator where sometimes the shadows stretch out to the south and sometimes to the north according to the time of the year If we understand our text so it is natural to see in it an allusion to the fickleness of the Ethiopians a nation which

Judah vainly trusted in since today it would be found an ally and tomorrow an enemy (A Ritchie)

The prophetrsquos charge to the Ethiopian ambassadors

Ethiopia (Hebrews ldquoCushrdquo) corresponds generally to the modern Soudan (ie the blacks) Egypt and Ethiopia were at this time ruled by Tirkakah (704-685) His ambassadors are in Jerusalem offering an alliance against the Assyrian and the prophet sends them back to their people with the words ldquoGo ye swift messengersrdquo etc Jehovah needs no help against His enemies (A BDavidson LL D)

Note

Full stop at ldquowatersrdquo (Isa_182) and omit ldquosayingrdquo The prophet speaks ldquoGo ye swift messengers to a nation tall and smooth a nation all-powerful and subduing whose land rivers divide (intersect)rdquo ldquoSmoothrdquo may refer to the glancing bronzed skin of the people (A BDavidson LL D)

Vessels of bulrushes

It is well known that timber proper for building ships was very scarce in Egypt to supply this deficiency the Egyptians used bulrushes or a reed called papyrus of which they made vessels fit for sailing Ships and boats built of this sort of materials being extremely light and drawing very little water were admirably suited to traverse the Nile along the banks of which there were doubtless many morasses and shoals They were also very convenient and easy to be managed at the waterfalls where they might be carried with no great difficulty to smooth water From such circumstances as these we may conclude that they would sail exceeding fast and afford a very speedy conveyance of all kinds of intelligence from one part of the country to another and from Egypt to neighbouring nations In them therefore ambassadors or messengers were often sent to different places with various kinds of information after having received their orders in terms such as these ldquoGo ye swift messengersrdquo (R Macculloch)

They were made for folding together so that they could be carried past the cataracts (F Delitzsch D D)

8 PULPIT ldquoTHE HOMAGE OF ETHIOPIA TO JEHOVAH Amid the general excitement caused by the

advance of Assyria Ethiopia also is stirred and stirred to its furthest limits The king sends messengers in

beats upon the canals and rivers to summon his troops to his standard (Isa_181 Isa_182) The earth

stands agaze to see the result of the approaching collision (Isa_183) but God rests calmly in heaven

while events are ripening (Isa_184 Isa_185) When the time comes he will strike the blowmdashAssyria will

be given to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field (Isa_186) Then Ethiopia will make an act of

homage to Jehovah by the sending of a present to Jerusalem (Isa_187) The time seems to be that

immediately preceding the great invasion of Sennacherib when Shabatok the Ethiopian was King of

Egypt and Tirhakah (Tahark) either Crown Prince under him or more probably Lord Paramount of Egypt

over him and reigning at Napata

Isa_181

Woe to the land rather Ho for the land (comp Isa_1712) Shadowing with wings literally either the

land of the shadow of wings or the land of the noise of wings most probably the latter Allusion is thought

to be made to the swarms of buzzing flies especially the tsetse with which Ethiopia abounds At the

same time these swarms are perhaps intended to be taken as emblems of the hosts of warriors which

Ethiopia can send forth (comp Isa_718) Beyond the rivers of Ethiopia The prophet cannot be

supposed to have had more than a vague knowledge of African geography He seems however robe

aware that Ethiopia is a land of many rivers (see Bakers Nile Tributaries) and he assumes that the

dominion of the Ethiopian kings extends even beyond these rivers to the south of them His object is as

Mr Cheyne says to emphasize the greatness of Ethiopia It may be questioned however whether the

dominion of the Ethiopian kings of the time extended so far as he supposed The seat of their power was

Napata now Gebel Berkal in the great bend of the Nile between lat 18deg and 19deg N and its southern limit

was probably Khar-toum and the line of the Blue Nile

9 CALVIN ldquo1Woe to the land I cannot determine with certainty what is the nation of which Isaiah

speaks though he shews plainly that it bordered on Ethiopia Some consider it to refer to the whole of

Egypt but this is a mistake for in the next chapter he treats of Egypt separately from which it is evident

that the people here meant were distinct from the Egyptians Some think that the Troglodytes are here

meant which does not appear to me to be probable for they had no intercourse with other nations

because their language as geographers tell us was hissing and not speech (12) but those who are

mentioned evidently had intercourse and leagues with other nations

Still it is uncertain whether they leagued against the Jews or joined with the Egyptians in driving out the

Assyrians If they were avowed enemies to the Jews Isaiah threatens punishment but if they deceived

them by false promises he shews that nothing is to be expected from them because by idle messages

they will only protract the time However that may be from the neighboring nations to be mentioned in the

next chapter we may in part ascertain where they were situated that is not far from Egypt and Ethiopia

yet some may be disposed to view it as a description of that part of Ethiopia which lay on the sea-coast

for we shall afterwards see that the Assyrians were at war with the king of the Ethiopians (Isa_379)

When he says that that land shadows with wings we learn from it that its sea was well supplied with

harbours so that it had many vessels sailing to it and was wealthy for small and poor states could not

maintain intercourse or traffic with foreign countries He therefore means that they performed many

voyages

(12) ldquo Ethiopian Troglodytesrdquo says Herodotus ldquo the swiftest of foot of all men of whom we have received

any accounts The Troglodytes feed on serpents and lizards and reptiles of that sort and the language

which they have adopted has no resemblance to any other but they screech like bats mdash Herod 4183

FT270 ldquo vessels of bulrushesrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT271 ldquo and peeled or outspread and polishedrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT272 ldquo nation meted out and trodden downrdquo Heb ldquo nation of line and line and treading under footrdquo mdash

Eng Ver

FT273 ldquo nation meted out by line that is utterly subdued Heb Put under line and line to decide what part

of them should be destroyed and what saved by the conquerors In this manner David is described

(2Sa_82) as having dealt with the children of Moab See Lam_28 Such a nation might well deserve to

be calleddrawn out and pilled that is drawn through the fingers (or an instrument) like a willow in order to

be peeled and made fit for wicker workrdquo mdash Stock

FT274 ldquoVidebitisrdquo ldquoVous le verrezrdquo

FT275 ldquo yerdquo ldquo yerdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT276 ldquo I will consider in my dwelling-placerdquo mdash Eng Ver ldquo will rest and look round in my dwelling-placerdquo

mdash Stock

FT277 ldquo a clear heat upon herbsrdquo or ldquo rainrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT278 Like the clear heat at the coming of daylight The resting of Jehovah hovering over the enemy till

they are ripe for destruction is here beautifully compared to the condensed gloom before daylight which

is wont to usher in a hot summerrsquo day and to the sheet of dew that appears to hang over the ground in

harvest time presently after sunset עלי (ălē) is here used for near the time of as we say against such a

time אור עלי (ălēō) prope lucem adventante luce mdash Stock

FT279 Rosenmuuml takes notice of another reading supported by the Septuagint Syriac and Vulgate ביום

the heat of harvestrdquo but justly ldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר בהם at the time of harvestrdquo instead ofldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר

remarks that it makes no difference to the meaning mdash Ed

FT280 ldquo is their dead bodiesrdquo mdash Jarchi

FT281 ldquo quit the metaphor the flourishing leaders of a people devoted by Jehovah to destruction shall be

cut off and trampled on The people here spoken of are the Assyrians under Sennacheribrdquo mdash Stock

10 PULPIT ldquoThe contrast of Divine calm with human bustle hurry and excitement

When men take a matter in hand wherein they feel an interest and set themselves either to carry out a

certain design of their own or to frustrate the designs of others nothing is more remarkable than the

fuss that they make about it Heaven and earth are moved so to speak for the accomplishment of the

desired end the entire nation is excited stirred thrilled to its lowest depths a universal eagerness

prevails all is noise clamor haste bustle tumult whirl confusion Assyrias noise is compared

(Isa_1712) to the roar of the sea and the rushing of mighty waters Ethiopias stir is like the sound of

many wings (Isa_181) Even Cyrus though he has a Divine mission cannot set about it without the

noise of a multitude in the mountains like as of a great people a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of

nations gathered together (Isa_134) It is in vain that men are told to stand still and see the salvation of

God (Exo_1413) or admonished that in quietness and confidence should be their strength

(Isa_3015) they cannot bring themselves to act on the advice tendered Great minds indeed are

comparatively quiet and tranquil but even they are liable upon occasion to be swept away by the

prevailing wave of excited feeling and dragged as it were from their moorings into a turbid ocean And

the mass of mankind is wholly without calm or stability It trembles flutters rushes hither and thither

mistakes activity for energy and fussiness for the power of achievement This condition of things results

from three weaknesses in man

1 His want of patience

2 His want of confidence in himself

3 His want of confidence in God

I MANS WANT OF PATIENCE Man desires to obtain whatever end he sets himself at once The boy is

impatient to be grown up the subaltern would at once be a general the clerk a partner the student a

professor of his science Men make haste to be rich (Pro_2820) and overshoot the mark and fall hack

into poverty They strive to become world-famous when they are mere tyros and put fetch ambitions

writings which only show their ignorance They fail to recognize the force of the proverb that everything

comes to those who wait To toil long to persevere to make a small advance day after daymdashthis seems

to them a poor thing an unsatisfactory mode of procedure They would reach the end per saltum by a

bound Hence their haste Too often most haste is worst speed Vaulting ambition cloth oer leap itself

and falls on the other side

II MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IN HIMSELF He who is sure of himself can afford to wait He knows

that he will succeed in the end what matters whether a little sooner or a little later But the bulk of men

are not sure of themselves they misdoubt their powers capacities perseverance steadiness reserve

fund of energy Hence their spasmodic efforts hurried movements violent agitations frantic rushings

hither and thither If they do not gain their end at once they despair of ever attaining it They are

conscious of infinite weakness in themselves and feel that they cannot tell what a day may bring forth in

the way of defeat and disappointment They say that it is necessary to strike while the iron is hot but their

real reason for haste is that they question whether their ability to strike will not have passed away if they

delay ever so little

III MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IS GOD He who feels that God is on his side has no need to

disquiet himself He will not fear the powers of darkness he will not be afraid of what flesh can do unto

him But comparatively few men have this feeling Either they put the thoughts of God altogether away

from them or they view him as an enemy or they misdoubt at any rate his sympathy with themselves

Mostly they feel that they do not deserve his sympathy They cannot rest in the Lord and they cannot

find rest outside of him Hence they remain in perpetual disturbance and unrest Strangely in contrast with

mans unquiet is Gods immovable calm and unruffled tranquility The Lord said I will take my rest

(Isa_184) None can really resist his will and hence he has no need to trouble himself if resistance is

attempted The fierceness of man will always turn to his praise Time is no object with him who is

above time whose goings have been from the days of eternity (Mic_52) In silence and calm he

accomplishes his everlasting purposes Himself at rest in the still depths of his unchangeable nature it is

he alone who can give his creatures rest As they grow mere like to him they will grow more and more

tranquil until the time comes when they will enter finally into that rest which remaineth for his people

(Heb_49)

11 PULPIT ldquoHomage of Ethiopia to Jehovah

I AGITATION IN ETHIOPIA The oracle opens with a scene full of life Hosts of Egyptian and Ethiopian

warriors are seen like buzzing swarms of flies moving to and fro Messengers are speeding in papyrus

boats to announce the approach of the Assyrians The Ethiopians are described as a nation tall and

polished terrible strong and all-subduing whose land rivers cut through A sense of mystery and

greatness hung about this and from the earliest timesmdashthe land of the source of the Nile opened up by

our countryman Spoke and others The prophet lifts up his voice to this people A signal will be seen on

the mountains the blast of a trumpet will be heard There will be symptoms of the Divine presence

restraining overruling the wrath of men for ends of Divine wisdom When wars are carried on every one

sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the beginning and end of them to chance

On the other hand Isaiah shows that all these things ought to be ascribed to God because he will display

his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he works so as to conceal his hand and to

prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he displays his hand in it in such a manner

that all men are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the prophet meant (Calvin)

II THE WAITING OF JEHOVAH Impressive is the contrast between the noise and stir and agitation

below and the calmness above Jehovah will be stillmdashas the blue sky behind a moving host of clouds

above a surging sea below In the second psalm we have the picture of him sitting in the heavens and

laughing at the vain attempts of the enemies of the Messianic kingdom There are three thoughts here

1 The repose of God It seems as if we must ever contemplate him resting from his toils of designing and

creating and providingmdashentered on an eternal sabbath The consciousness of vast force sleeping held

in reserve we must conceive of in God Hence his stillness amidst our excitement At times when vague

movements are passing through the bosom of society many voices rend the air with opposing cries deep

questions agitate the heart and conscience of thoughtful men We long to hear the one infallible voice to

see the signal extended and yet God speaks not a word Perhaps it may be said a still small voice

saying Be still and know that I am God may be heard by acuter spiritual ears His stillness must be the

effect of infinite strength and profoundest confidence

2 His contemplativeness He looks on in his mansion Not as the Epicureans represented the gods of

the heathen sitting apart reckless of the weal or woe of men but intently watchful of the development of

things the ripening of good the gathering up of evil towards the day of sifting and judgment In a powerful

biblical image his eyes are in every place beholding the good and the evil And our thought to be in

harmony with his must in many matters and at many times fall into the mood of contemplation Instead of

seeking to theorize rashly upon the strange mixture of tendencies life at any troubled epoch presents it

were well to possess our souls in patiencemdashto look on and let both grow together till the harvest

3 His waiting attitude While there is clear heat in sunshine while there are clouds of dew in harvest-

heat he is waiting till the fruit of Assyrian annoyance is all but ripe The heat and the clouds of dew

hasten the powers in nature there are corresponding forces at work in the moral world seen by him to be

working towards certain results God can wait because he knows And may not we in a measure

compose our souls into that attitude of waiting Some things we too know about many others we can

say God knows and so leave them Especially so in times or in moods of alarm In the present case

men below see one picture of the future quite another is seen by God above To them a vast black cloud

is gathering over the horizon he sees the sun that will presently smite it asunder They see a fell harvest

of woe for themselves ripening he has the pruning-knife in his hand with which he will make havoc

among the growth They see an immense host of irresistible warriors he the birds of prey and the beasts

that will soon be feeding upon their remains Let us think of the immense reserves of force at the disposal

of Jehovah The statesman in times of alarm assures a trembling country that the resources of

civilization are not yet exhausted yet they have their limit Behind them lie the absolutely inexhaustible

resources of the living and eternal God Let our hearts be stayed on him and all will be well

III THE EFFECT ON ETHIOPIA They will bring a tribute to Jehovah Sabaoth to the Lord of hosts in his

seat on Mount Zion It is he who has done these things We find the like impressive picture passing

before a prophetic eye in Psa_6832 Kingdoms of splendor come out of Egypt Ethiopia stretches out

her hands to God The gathering of so glorious a people into the true Church is to be the result of the

manifestation of the power of Israels God

LESSONS

1 The providence of God over the Church He shows that he takes care of the Church and that though

he determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their powers In order therefore to excite them to patience

he not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation (Calvin)

2 The indestructibility of the spiritual life This must not be confounded with the institutions in which it

dwells for a time But understanding the Church in the spiritual or mystical sense it cannot perish

Calvin wrote in his day The Church is not far from despair being plundered scattered and everywhere

crushed and trodden underfoot What must be done in straits so numerous and so distressing We ought

to lay hold on these promises so as to believe that God will still preserve the Church The body may be

torn shivered into fragments and scattered still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will

never allow the remembrance and calling on his Name to perish

3 The self-concealment of God The trial of faith in all ages Oh that he would show his face bare his

arm disclose his majesty exert his power appear as Judge to end once for all the strifes of the world

But we must learn to say Gods in his heaven alls right with the world At the proper season he will

come forth If he instantly cut the wicked down and took them away like a sprouting blade of corn his

power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so fully ascertained as when he permits

them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may afterwards fall by their own weight or

like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-knives

4 The unity of religion the prophetic ideal Mount Zion was its ancient symbol for us it is not Rome nor

any other city or mountmdashit is the human heart with all its pathos its faith hope and love its regenerate

life and aspirations it is one spirit universal in mankindmdashJ

12 PULPIT ldquoThe patience of power

The most striking and distinctive truth this chapter contains is that of the patience of Divine power which

permits evil to rise and to mature and which at the right moment effectually intervenes But there are

other points beside this they aremdash

I THE MISDIRECTION OF HUMAN INTELLIGENCE Whatever may be the right translation and the true

application of these verses it is clear that reference is made to a warlike peoplemdasha people terrible to

their neighbors a people of command or treading underfoot aggressive and victorious It shows how

far we have fallen from our first estate and from the condition for which we were created that it does not

strike us as strange that this should be the description of a people that the number of nations whom it

characterizes is so great that we fail to identify the nation which is in the prophets vision Under sin it has

become common not to say natural that a nation should be terrible should be treading down or

crushing and full of commands to its neighbors But to how much better purpose might the strong

peoples of the earth devote their strength God has made rich provision for the peaceable and fruitful

exercise of our largest powers There are rivers and seas (Isa_182) for travelling exploration commerce

there is vegetation (bulrushes papyrus) which may be made to carry mens bodies or which by the

exercise of human ingenuity may be made to convey their thoughts to distant lands and remotest times

there is land and there are seeds there is sunshine and there is dew which can be made to produce

golden harvests that will satisfy mans wants and minister to his most refined tastes (Isa_184 Isa_185)

there are birds and beasts (Isa_186) with whose habits men may become intelligently familiar there is

wealth beneath the soil in precious metals which can not only be raised and collected to enrich the

homes of men but which can be conveyed as the tribute of piety to the house of the Lord (Isa_187)

But despising and neglecting such materials and such ambitions as these nations have aspired to rule

over othersmdashhave perfected themselves in all the arts and enginery of war have congratulated

themselves on nothing so much as in being terrible to those on the other side the river or across the

mountain range

II THE COMPLETENESS OF MANS OVERTHROW IN THE DAY OF DIVINE ANGER The destruction

threatened (Isa_185 Isa_186) probably refers to that of the army of Sennacherib but if the reference be

to some other national calamity it certainly points to an overthrow signal and fearful from which the

imagination turns away oppressed So has it been found both by individual men and nations that when

God arises to judgment their feeble defenses are scattered to the winds and their doom is utterly

irreversible by anything they can do to mend it (see Psa_21-12 6317-20 Psa_926 Psa_929)

III THE LESSON OF GODS JUDGMENTS The result in this case is seen in the bringing of a tribute to

the Lord (Isa_187) If God puts forth his power in overwhelming retribution it is chiefly if not wholly that

they who witness it (men or nations) may repent of their own misdeeds or impiety and may return unto

the Lord in penitence in prayer in consecration for the most acceptable present that can be brought

unto the Lord of hosts is the humbled believing obedient heart

IV THE PATIENCE OF DIVINE POWER (Isa_184) The Lord said I will fake my rest [I will be calm or

still] I will consider in my dwelling-place [I will look on from my habitation] like a clear heat upon herbs

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest God will not be provoked into hurried and impatient judgments

he will retain a Divine composure he will manifest the patience which belongs to conscious power the

heavens should be as still as on the calmest summer day while evil was working to its bitter end while sin

was advancing to its doom Here is a contrast to us and here are lessons for us We in our finite

feebleness are often impatient in spirit and hurried in action We are afraid that if we do not strike at

once we shall not have time to strike at all or that our resources of retribution will fall or that our

adversary will be out of our reach God can entertain no such fear and be affected by no such thought

1 All time is at his command

2 All resources are in his hands

3 The men (nations) whom he may find it needful to chastise can never be beyond the reach of his

power

Hence his calmness in place of our confusion his patience in contrast with our feverish restlessness

(1) Let not the wicked presume on Divine disregard God will put forth his hand in punishment at his own

chosen time

(2) Let not the righteous be surprised or disheartened by his delay he does not count time by our

chronometry he has not the reasons for haste which urge us to immediate action the hour of his merciful

intervention will arrive in timemdashC

2 which sends envoys by sea

in papyrus boats over the water

Go swift messengers

to a people tall and smooth-skinned

to a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by rivers

1BARNES ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors - That is ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send messengers What was the design of their thus sending ambassadors does not appear The prophet simply intimates the fact a fact by which they were well known It may have been for purposes of commerce or to seek protection Bochart renders the word translated lsquoambassadorsrsquo by ldquoimagesrdquo and supposes that it denotes an image of the god Osiris made of the papyrus but there

does not seem to be any reason for this opinion The word ציר tsıyr may mean an idol or image

as in Isa_4516 Psa_4915 But it usually denotes ambassadors or messengers Jos_94 Pro_2513 Pro_1317 Isa_579 Jer_4914 Oba_11

By the sea - What ldquoseardquo is here meant cannot be accurately determined The word lsquosearsquo (ים ya

m) is applied to various collections of water and may be used in reference to a sea a lake a

pond and even a large river It is often applied to the Mediterranean and where the phrase ldquoGreat Seardquo occurs it denotes that Num_346-7 Deu_1124 It is applied to the Lake of Gennesareth or the Sea of Galilee Num_3411 to the Salt Sea Gen_143 to the Red Sea often (Exo_1310 Num_1425 Num_214 Num_3310 ldquoet alrdquo) It is also applied to ldquoa large riverrdquo as ldquoe g the Nilerdquo Isa_195 Neh_38 and to the Euphrates Jer_5136 So far as this ldquowordrdquo is concerned therefore it may denote either the Mediterranean the Red Sea the Nile or the Euphrates If the country spoken of is Upper Egypt or Nubia then we are naturally led to suppose that the prophet refers either to the Nile or the Red Sea

Even in vessels of bulrushes - The word rendered lsquobulrushesrsquo (גמא gome) is derived from

the verb גמא gama ldquoto swallow sip drinkrdquo and is given to a reed or bulrush from its ldquoimbibingrdquo

water It is usually applied in the Scriptures to the Egyptian ldquopapyrusrdquo - a plant which grew on the banks of the Nile and from which we have derived our word ldquopaperrdquo lsquoThis plantrsquo says Taylor (ldquoHeb Conrdquo) lsquogrew in moist places near the Nile and was four or five yards in height Under the bark it consisted wholly of thin skins which being separated and spread out were applied to various uses Of these they made boxes and chests and even boats smearing them over with pitchrsquo These laminoe or skins also served the purpose of paper and were used instead of parchment or plates of lead and copper for writing on This plant the Cyperus Papyrus of modern botanists mostly grew in Lower Egypt in marshy land or in shallow brooks and ponds formed by the inundation of the Nile lsquoThe papyrusrsquo says Pliny lsquogrows in the marsh lands of Egypt or in the stagnant pools left inland by the Nile after it has returned to its bed which have not more than two cubits in depth

The root of the plant is the thickness of a manrsquos arm it has a triangular stalk growing not higher than ten cubits (fifteen feet) and decreasing in breadth toward the summit which is crowned with a thyrsus containing no seeds and of no use except to deck the statues of the gods They employ the roots as firewood and for making various utensils They even construct small boats of the plant and out of the rind sails mats clothes bedding ropes they eat it either crude or cooked swallowing only the juice and when they manufacture paper from it they divide the stem by means of a kind of needle into thin plates or laminae each of which is as large as the plant will admit All the paper is woven upon a table and is continually moistened with Nile water which being thick and slimy furnishes an effectual species of glue In the first place they form upon a table pefectly horizontal a layer the whole length of the papyrus which is crossed by another placed transversely and afterward enclosed within a press

The different sheets are then hung in a situation exposed to the sun in order to dry and the process is finally completed by joining them together beginning with the best There are seldom more than twenty slips or stripes produced from one stem of the plantrsquo (Pliny xiii 11 12) Wilkinson remarks that lsquothe mode of making papyri was this the interior of the stalks of the plant after the rind had been removed was cut into thin slices in the direction of their length and these being laid on a flat board in succession similar slices were placed over them at right angles and their surfaces being cemented together by a sort of glue and subjected to the proper deuce of pressure and well dried the papyrus was completedrsquo (ldquoAncient Egyptiansrdquo vol iii p 148) The word used here is translated lsquobulrushesrsquo in Exo_23 where the little ark is described in which Moses was laid near the Nile the lsquorushrsquo in Job_811 and lsquorushesrsquo in Isa_357

It does not elsewhere occur That the ancients were in the practice of making light boats or vessels from the papyrus is well known Thus Theophrastus (in the ldquoHistory of Plantsrdquo iv 9)

says that lsquothe papyrus is useful for many things for from this they make vesselsrsquo or ships (πλοeα

ploia) Thus Pliny (xiii 11 22) says ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt - lsquofrom the papyrus

they weave vesselsrsquo Again (vi 56 57) lsquoEven nowrsquo says he lsquoin the Britannic Ocean useful vessels are made of bark on the Nile from the papyrus and from reeds and rushesrsquo Plutarch describes Isis going in search of the body of Osiris lsquothrough the fenny country in a bark made of the

papyrus (fνβαριδιπαπυοινη en baridi papnoine) where it is supposed that persons using boats of

this description (fνπαπυρινοιςhκαφεσιπλωοντας en papurinois okaphisi pleontas) are never attacked by crocodiles out of respect to the goddessrsquo (De Isa_181-7) Moses also it will be remembered was exposed on the banks of the Nile in a similar boat or ark lsquoShe took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it With slime and with pitch and put the child thereinrsquo Exo_23

The same word occurs here (גמא gome) which is used by Isaiah and this fact shows that such boats were known as early as the time of Moses Lucan also mentions boats made of the papyrus at Memphis

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro - Phar iv 136

At Memphis boats are woven together from the marshy papyrus

The sculptures of Thebes Memphis and other places abundantly show that they were employed as punts or canoes for fishing in all parts of Egypt during the inundation of the Nilersquo (Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians vol iii p 186) In our own country also it will be remembered the natives were accustomed to make canoes or vessels of the bark of the birch with which they

often adventured on even dangerous navigation The circumstance here mentioned of the גמא go

me (the papyrus) seems to fix the scene of this prophecy to the region of the Nile This reed

grew nowhere else and it is natural therefore to suppose that some nation living near the Nile is intended Taylor the editor of Calmet has shown that the inhabitants of the upper regions of the Nile were accustomed to form floats of hollow earthen vessels and to weave them together with rushes and thus to convey them to Lower Egypt to market He supposes that by lsquovessels of bulrushesrsquo or rush floats are meant such vessels (For a description of the ldquofloatsrdquo made in Upper Egypt with ldquojarsrdquo see Pocockersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo vol i p 84 Ed London 1743) lsquoI first saw in this voyage (on the Nile) the large floats of earthen-ware they are about thirty feet wide and sixty feet long being a frame of palm boughs tied together about four feet deep on which they put a layer of large jars with the mouths uppermost on these they make another floor and then put on another layer of jars and so a third which last are so disposed as to trim the float and leave room for the men to go between The float lies across the river one end being lower down than the other toward the lower end on each side they have four long poles with which they row and direct the boat as well as forward the motion downrsquo Mr Bruce in his ldquoTravelsrdquo mentions vessels made of the papyrus in Abyssinia

Upon the waters - The waters of the Nile or the Red Sea

Saying - This word is not in the Hebrew and the introduction of it by the translators gives a peculiar and probably an incorrect sense to the whole passage As it stands here it would seem to be the language of the inhabitants of the land who sent the ambassadors usually saying to their messengers to go to a distant nation and this introduces an inquiry into the characteristics of the nation to ldquowhomrdquo the ambassadors are sent as if it were a ldquodifferentrdquo people from those who are mentioned in Isa_171 But probably the words which follow are to be regarded as the words of the prophet or of God Isa_174 giving commandment to those messengers to ldquoreturnrdquo to those who sent them and deliver the message which follows lsquoYou send messengers to distant nations in reed boats upon the rivers Return says God to the land which sent you foth and

announce to them the will of God Go rapidly in your light vessels and bear this message for it shall speedily be executed and I will sit calmly and see it donersquo Isa_174-6 A remarkably similar passage which throws great light on this occurs in Eze_309 lsquoIn that day shall messengers go forth from me (God) in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it comethrsquo

Go ye swift messengers - Hebrew lsquoLight messengersrsquo This is evidently addressed to the boats Achilles Tatius says that they were frequently so light and small that they would carry but one person (Rosenmuller)

To a nation - What nation this was is not known The ldquoobviousrdquo import of the passge is that it was some nation to whom they were ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send ambassadors and that it is here added merely as ldquodescriptiverdquo of the people Two or three characterstics of the nation are mentioned from which we may better learn what people are referred to

Scattered - (ממשך memushak) This word is derived from משך mashak ldquoto seize take hold fastrdquo to draw out extend or prolong to make double or strong to spread out The Septuagint

renders it kθνοςmicroετέωρον Ethnos meteoron - lsquoA lofty nationrsquo Chaldee lsquoA people suffering violencersquo Syraic lsquoA nation distortedrsquo Vulgate lsquoA people convulsed and laceratedrsquo It ldquomayrdquo denote a people ldquospread outrdquo over a great extent of country or a people ldquodrawn out in lengthrdquo - that is extended over a country of considerable length but of comparatively narrow breadth as Egypt is so Vitringa understands it Or it may mean a people ldquostrong valiantrdquo so Gesenius understands it This best suits the connection as being a people lsquoterrible hithertorsquo Perhaps all these ideas may be united by the supposition that the nation was drawn out or extended over a large region and was ldquothereforerdquo a powerful or mighty people The idea of its being ldquoscatteredrdquo is not in the text Taylor renders it lsquoA people of short stature contracted in height that is dwarfsrsquo But the idea in the text is not one that is descriptive of ldquoindividualsrdquo but of the ldquocollectedrdquo nation the people

And peeled - (מרט moratʖ from מרט maratʖ) to make smooth or sharpen as a swordrdquo Ezek

2114-32 then to make smooth the head of any one to pluck off his hair Ezr_93 Neh_1325

Isa_506) The Septuagint renders it Ξένονλαpνκαχαλεπόν Cenon laon kai chalepon - lsquoA foreign and wicked peoplersquo Vulgate lsquoTo a people laceratedrsquo The Syriac renders the whole verse lsquoGo swift messengers to a people perverse and torn to a people whose strength has been long since taken away a people defiled and trodden down whose land the rivers have spoiledrsquo The word used here is capable of two significations

(1) It may denote a people who are shaved or made smooth by removing the hair from the body It is known to have been the custom with the Egyptians to make their bodies smooth by shaving off the hair as Herodotus testifies (xi 37) Or

(2) It may be translated as Gesenius proposes a people valiant fierce bold from the sense which the verb has ldquoto sharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115-16

The former is the most obvious interpretation and agrees best with the proper meaning of the Hebrew word the latter would perhaps better suit the connection The editor of Calmer supposes that it is to be taken in the sense of ldquodiminished small dwarfishrdquo and would apply it to the ldquopigmiesrdquo of Upper Egypt

To a people terrible - That is warlike fierce cruel Hebrew lsquoA people fearedrsquo If the Egyptians are meant it may refer to the fact that they had always been an object of terror and alarm to the Israelites from their early oppressions there before their deliverance under Moses

From their beginning hitherto - Hebrew lsquoFrom this time and formerlyrsquo It has been their general character that they were a fierce harsh oppressive nation Gesenius however renders this lsquoTo the formidable nation (and) further beyondrsquo and supposes that two nations are referred

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

the Chaldee which refers it to the multitude of ships that expand their sails and appear to fill all the waters of the land with wings

Which is beyond - (מעבר me‛eber) This does not of necessity mean ldquobeyondrdquo though that

is its usual signification It properly means ldquofrom the passing the passages the crossing overrdquo of a river and may be rendered what is on the other side or over against It sometimes means on this side as if used by one living on the other side Deu_449 Jos_1327 1Ki_424 in which places it has not the sense of ldquobeyondrdquo but means either on this side or lying alongside The sense here is probably that this country was situated ldquonot farrdquo from the rivers of Cush ldquoprobablyrdquo beyond them but still it is implied that they were not ldquofarrdquo beyond them but were rather at their passings over or crossing-places that is near them

The rivers of Ethiopia - Hebrew lsquoRivers of Cushrsquo (On the meaning of the word lsquoCushrsquo see the note at Isa_1111) It is sometimes applicable to Ethiopia or Nubia - that is the portion of Egypt above the cataracts of the Nile Compare Jer_1323 lsquoCan the Ethiopian (the ldquoCushiterdquo) change his skinrsquo (see also Eze_2910) This word does not determine with certainty the country to which reference is made - for the country of Cush ldquomayrdquo mean that east of the Euphrates or southern Arabia or southern Egypt Egypt and Cush are however sometimes connected (2Ki_199 Psa_6831 Isa_203 Isa_433 Nah_39 compare Dan_1143) The ldquoprobabilityrdquo from the use of this word is that some part of Upper Egypt is intended Ethiopia in part lies beyond the most considerable of the streams that make up the river Nile

2 CLARKE ldquoWo to the land - הויארץ hoiarets This interjection should be translated ho for it is properly a particle of calling Ho land Attend Give ear

Shadowing with wings ldquoThe winged cymbalrdquo - צלצלכנפים tsiltsalkenaphayim I adopt this as the most probable of the many interpretations that have been given of these words It is Bochartrsquos see Phaleg 42 The Egyptian sistrum is expressed by a periphrasis the Hebrews had no name for it in their language not having in use the instrument itself The cymbal they had was an instrument in its use and sound not much unlike the sistrum and to distinguish it from the sistrum they called it the cymbal with wings The cymbal was a round hollow piece of metal which being struck against another gave a ringing sound the sistrum was a round instrument consisting of a broad rim of metal through which from side to side ran several loose laminae or small rods of metal which being shaken gave a like sound These projecting on each side had somewhat the appearance of wings or might be very properly expressed by the same word which the Hebrews used for wings or for the extremity or a part of any thing projecting The sistrum is given in a medal of Adrian as the proper attribute of Egypt See Addison on Medals Series 3 No 4 where the figure of it may be seen The frame of the sistrum was in shape rather like the ancient lyre it was not round

If we translate shadowing with wings it may allude to the multitude of its vessels whose sails may be represented under the notion of wings The second verse seems to support this

interpretation Vessels of bulrushes גמא gome or rather the flag papyrus so much celebrated as

the substance on which people wrote in ancient times and from which our paper is denominated The sails might have been made of this flag but whole canoes were constructed from it Mat sails are used to the present day in China The Vulgate fully understood the meaning of the word and has accordingly translated in vasis papyri ldquoin vessels of papyrusrdquo Reshi vesselis - Old MS Bib This interpretation does not please Bp Lowth and for his dissent he gives the following reasons -

In opposition to other interpretations of these words which have prevailed it may be briefly

observed that צלצל tsiltsel is never used to signify shadow nor is כנף canaph applied to the sails of ships If therefore the words are rightly interpreted the winged cymbal meaning the sistrum Egypt must be the country to which the prophecy is addressed And upon this hypothesis the version and explanation must proceed I farther suppose that the prophecy was delivered before Sennacheribrsquos return from his Egyptian expedition which took up three years and that it was designed to give to the Jews and perhaps likewise to the Egyptians an intimation of Godrsquos counsels in regard to the destruction of their great and powerful enemy

Which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia ldquoWhich borders on the rivers of Cushrdquo - What are the rivers of Cush whether the eastern branches of the lower Nile the boundary of Egypt towards Arabia or the parts of the upper Nile towards Ethiopia it is not easy to

determine The word מעבר meeber signifies either on this side or on the farther side I have made

use of the same kind of ambiguous expression in the translation

3 GILL ldquoWoe to the land shadowing with wings Or O land as calling to it so Aben Ezra and Kimchi It is very difficult to determine what land is here meant some think the land of Assyria is here designed as Aben Ezra and others and so it is a continuation of the prophecy concerning the destruction of the Assyrians in the three last verses of the preceding chapter Isa_1712 the stretching out of whose wings is mentioned Isa_88 and thought to be referred to here others are of opinion that the land of Judea is intended which trusted under the shadow of the wings of Egypt and Ethiopia to whom the characters in the next verse Isa_182 are supposed to belong but the more generally received sense is that either Egypt or Ethiopia themselves are pointed at described as shadowing with wings not with the wings of birds as Jarchi interprets it which flocked thither in great numbers the country being hot and so shaded it with their wings but rather with mountains with which Ethiopia at least some part of it was encompassed and shaded or else with ships whose sails are like wings and which resorting hither in numerous fleets of them and hovering about their coasts and ports seemed to shadow them to which agrees the Septuagint version Woe to the land the wings of ships and so the Targum Woe to the land to which they come in ships from a far country whose sails are stretched out as an eagle that flies with its wings so Manasseh Ben Israel (c) renders them Woe to the land which under the shadow of veils falls beyond the rivers of Ethiopia The word translated shadowing is used for a cymbal 2Sa_65 Psa_1505 and so it is rendered here in the Vulgate Latin version Woe to the land with the cymbal of wings and some think the sistrum is meant which was a musical instrument used by the Egyptians in their worship of Isis and which had wings to it or had transverse rods in the middle of it which looked like wings one of which may be seen in Pignorius (d) and so it describes the land of Egypt famous for its winged cymbals Minucius Felix (e) makes mention of the swallow along with the sistrum which was a bird of Isis and which some say was placed over the statue of Isis with its wings stretched out

Which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia the principal of which were Astaboras and Astapus (f) and also Nile itself which came out of Ethiopia into Egypt or which is on this side of the rivers of Ethiopia (g) and so may intend Egypt which bordered on this side of it towards Judea or which is beside the rivers of Ethiopia (h) and so may denote Ethiopia itself situated by these rivers The Targum renders it the rivers of Judea Some would have it that the rivers of Arabia Chusaea are meant which lay between Judea and Egypt as Besor Rhinocorura Trajan and Corys and Arabia seems rather to be meant by Cush than Ethiopia in Africa since that lay beyond the rivers of Egypt rather than Egypt beyond the rivers of Ethiopia

4 HENRY ldquoInterpreters are very much at a loss where to find this land that lies beyond the

rivers of Cush Some take it to be Egypt a maritime country and full of rivers and which

courted Israel to depend upon them but proved broken reeds but against this it is strongly

objected that the next chapter is distinguished from this by the title of the burden of Egypt

Others take it to be Ethiopia and read it which lies near or about the rivers of Ethiopia not

that in Africa which lay south of Egypt but that which we call Arabia which lay east of Canaan

which Tirhakah was now king of He thought to protect the Jews as it were under the shadow

of his wings by giving a powerful diversion to the king of Assyria when he made a descent upon

his country at the time that he was attacking Jerusalem 2Ki_199 But though by his

ambassadors he bade defiance to the king of Assyria and encouraged the Jews to depend upon

him God by the prophet slights him and will not go forth with him he may take his own course

but God will take another course to protect Jerusalem while he suffers the attempt of Tirhakah

to miscarry and his Arabian army to be ruined for the Assyrian army shall become a present or

sacrifice to the Lord of hosts and to the place of his name by the hand of an angel not by the

hand of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia Isa_187 This is a very probable exposition of this chapter

But from a hint of Dr Lightfoots in his Harmony of the Old Testament I incline to understand

this chapter as a prophecy against Assyria and so a continuation of the prophecy in the last

three verses of the foregoing chapter with which therefore this should be joined That was

against the army of the Assyrians which rushed in upon Judah this is against the land of Assyria

itself which lay beyond the rivers of Arabia that is the rivers Euphrates and Tigris which

bordered on Arabia Deserta And in calling it the land shadowing with wings he seems to refer

to what he himself had said of it (Isa_88) that the stretching out of his wings shall fill the

breadth of thy land O Immanuel The prophet might perhaps describe the Assyrians by such

dark expressions not naming them for the same reason that St Paul in his prophecy speaks of

the Roman empire by a periphrasis He who now letteth 2Th_27 Here is

5 JAMISON ldquo

Isa_181-7 Isaiah announces the overthrow of Sennacheribrsquos hosts and desires the Ethiopian ambassadors now in Jerusalem to bring word of it to their own nation and he calls on the whole world to witness the event (Isa_183) As Isa_1712-14 announced the presence of the foe so Isa_181-7 foretells his overthrow

Woe mdash The heading in English Version ldquoGod will destroy the Ethiopiansrdquo is a mistake arising from the wrong rendering ldquoWoerdquo whereas the Hebrew does not express a threat but is an appeal calling attention (Isa_551 Zec_26) ldquoHordquo He is not speaking against but to the Ethiopians calling on them to hear his prophetical announcement as to the destruction of their enemies

shadowing with wings mdash rather ldquoland of the winged barkrdquo that is ldquobarks with wing-like sails answering to vessels of bulrushesrdquo in Isa_182 the word ldquoriversrdquo in the parallelism also favors it so the Septuagint and Chaldee [Ewald] ldquoLand of the clanging sound of wingsrdquo that is armies as in Isa_88 the rendering ldquobarkrdquo or ldquoshiprdquo is rather dubious [Maurer] The armies referred to are those of Tirhakah advancing to meet the Assyrians (Isa_379) In English Version ldquoshadowingrdquo means protecting - stretching out its wings to defend a feeble people namely the Hebrews [Vitringa] The Hebrew for ldquowingsrdquo is the same as for the idol Cneph which was represented in temple sculptures with wings (Psa_914)

beyond mdash Meroe the island between the ldquoriversrdquo 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 ldquoTirhakahrdquo in the inscriptions This island region was probably the chief part of Queen Candacersquos kingdom (Act_827) For ldquobeyondrdquo others translate less literally ldquowhich borderest onrdquo

Ethiopia mdash literally ldquoCushrdquo Horsley is probably right that the ultimate and fullest reference of the prophecy is to the restoration of the Jews in the Holy Land through the instrumentality of some distant people skilled in navigation (Isa_182 Isa_609 Isa_6010 Psa_4515 Psa_6831 Zep_310) Phoenician voyagers coasting along would speak of all Western remote lands as ldquobeyondrdquo the Nilersquos mouths ldquoCushrdquo 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 (Gen_213)

6 KampD 1-3 ldquoThe prophecy commences with hoi which never signifies heus but always vae

(woe) Here however it differs from Isa_1712 and is an expression of compassion (cf Isa_551 Zec_210) rather than of anger for the fact that the mighty Ethiopia is oppressed by the still mightier Asshur is a humiliation which Jehovah has prepared for the former Isa_181 Isa_182 ldquoWoe to the land of the whirring of wings which is beyond the rivers of Cush that sends ambassadors into the sea and in boats of papyrus over the face of the watersrdquo The land

of Cush commences according to Eze_2910 (cf Isa_306) where Upper Egypt ends The Seve

neh (Aswan) mentioned by Ezekiel is the boundary-point at which the Nile enters Mizraim

proper and which is still a depot for goods coming from the south down the Nile The nahare-

Cush (rivers of Cush) are chiefly those that surround the Cushite Seba (Gen_107) This is the

name given to the present Sennacircr the Meroitic island which is enclosed between the White and Blue Nile (the Astapos of Ptolemy or the present Bahr el-Abyad and the Astaboras of Ptolemy or the present Bahr el-Azrak) According to the latest researches more especially those of Speke the White Nile which takes its rise in the Lake of Nyanza is the chief source of the Nile

The latter and the Blue Nile whose confluence (makran) with it takes place in lat 15deg 25acute are

fed by many larger or smaller tributary streams (as well as mountain torrents) the Blue Nile

even more than the Nile proper And this abundance of water in the land to the south of Seveneh and still farther south beyond Seba (or Meroeuml) might very well have been known to the prophet as a general fact The land ldquobeyond the rivers of Cushrdquo is the land bounded by the sources of the Nile ie (including Ethiopia itself in the stricter sense of the word) the south land under Ethiopian rule that lay still deeper in the heart of the country the land of its African auxiliary tribes whose names (which probably include the later Nubians and Abyssinians) as given in 2Ch_123 Nah_39 Eze_305 Jer_469 suppose a minuteness of information which has not yet been attained by modern research To this Ethiopia which is designated by its farthest limits (compare Zep_310 where Wolff in his book of Judith erroneously supposes Media to be

intended as the Asiatic Cush) the prophets give the strange name of eretz tziltzal cenap This has been interpreted as meaning ldquothe land of the wings of an army with clashing armsrdquo by Gesenius

and others but cenaphaim does not occur in this sense like agappim in Ezekiel Others render it

ldquothe land of the noise of wavesrdquo (Umbreit) but cenaphaim cannot be used of waters except in

such a connection as Isa_88 Moreover tziltzal is not a fitting onomatopoetic word either for

the clashing of arms or the noise of waves Others again render it ldquothe land of the double shadowrdquo (Grotius Vitringa Knobel and others) but however appropriate this epithet might be to Ethiopia as a tropical land it is very hazardous to take the word in a sense which is not sustained by the usage of the language and the same objection may be brought against Luzzattos ldquoland of the far-shadowing defencerdquo Shelling has also suggested another objection - namely that the shadow thrown even in tropical lands is not a double one falling northwards and southwards at the same time and therefore that it cannot be figuratively described as

double-winged Tziltzal cenaphaim is the buzzing of the wings of insects with which Egypt and

Ethiopia swarmed on account of the climate and the abundance of water צלצל constr צלצל tinnitus stridor a primary meaning from which the other three meanings of the word-cymbal harpoon (a whirring dart) and grasshopper

(Note Schroumlring supposes tziltzal to be the scarabaeus sacer (Linn) but it would be much

more natural if any particular animal is intended to think of the tzaltzalya as it is called in

the language of the Gallas the tzetze in the Betschuana language the most dreaded diptera

of the interior of Africa a species of glossina which attacks all the larger mammalia (though not men) Vid Hartmann Naturgeschichtlich-medic Skizze der Nillaumlnder Abth i p 205)

- are derived In Isa_718 the forces of Egypt are called ldquothe fly from the end of the rivers of Egyptrdquo Here Egypt and Ethiopia are called the land of the whirring of wings inasmuch as the prophet had in his mind under the designation of swarms of insects the motley swarms of different people included in this great kingdom that were so fabulously strange to an Asiatic Within this great kingdom messengers were now passing to and fro upon its great waters in

boats of papyrus (on gome Copt ‛gome Talm gami see at Job_811) Greek βαρίδεςπαπύριναι (β

αρίς from the Egyptian bari bali a barque) In such vessels as these and with Egyptian tackle they went as far as the remote island of Taprobane The boats were made to clap together

(pilcatiles) so as to be carried past the cataracts (Parthey on Plutarch de Iside pp 198-9) And it

is to these messengers in their paper boats that the appeal of the prophet is addressed

He sends them home and what they are to say to their own people is generalized into an announcement to the whole earth ldquoGo swift messengers to the people stretched out and polished to the terrible people far away on the other side to the nation of command upon

command and treading down whose land rivers cut through All ye possessors of the globe and inhabitants of the earth when a banner rises on the mountains look ye and when they blow the trumpets hearkenrdquo We learn from what follows to what it is that the attention of Ethiopia and all the nations of the earth is directed it is the destruction of Asshur by Jehovah They are to attend when they observe the two signals the banner and the trumpet-blast these are decisive moments Because Jehovah was about to deliver the world from the conquering might of Assyria against which the Ethiopian kingdom was now summoning all the means of self-defence the prophet sends the messengers home Their own people to which he sends them

home are elaborately described They are memusshak stretched out ie very tall (lxx Kθνοςmicroετέ

ωρον) just as the Sabaeans are said to have been in Isa_4514 They are also morat = memorat (Ges sect52 Anm 6) smoothed politus ie either not disfigured by an ugly growth of hair or else without any reference to depilation but rather with reference to the bronze colour of their skin smooth and shining with healthy freshness The description which Herodotus gives of the

Ethiopians microέγιστοικακάλλιστοιQνθρώπωνπάντων (iii 20) quite answers to these first two predicates They are still further described with reference to the wide extent of their kingdom

which reached to the remotest south as ldquothe terrible nation הSאמן־הו והל rdquo ie from this point

where the prophet meets with the messengers farther and farther off (compare 1Sa_2021-22 but not 1Sa_189 where the expression has a chronological meaning which would be less

suitable here where everything is so pictorial and which is also to be rejected because אמן־הו

cannot be equivalent to הוא cf Nah_29) We may see from Isa_2810 Isa_2813 what ka מאשר

v (kaZv with connecting accusatives and before makkeph) a measuring or levelling line signifies

when used by the prophet with the reduplication which he employs here it is a people of ldquocommand upon commandrdquo - that is to say a commanding nation (according to Ewald

Knobel and others kav is equivalent to the Arabic kuwe strength a nation of double or gigantic

strength) ldquoA people of treading downrdquo (sc of others mebusah is a second genitive to goi) ie one which subdues and tramples down wherever it appears These are all distinctive predicates - a nation of imposing grandeur a ruling and conquering nation The last predicate extols its

fertile land זא we take not in the sense of diripere or as equivalent to bazaz like מ^ס to melt

equivalent to masas but in the sense of findere ie as equivalent to בזע like מא_ to sip = מע_ For it is no praise to say that a land is scoured out or washed away by rivers Boumlttcher who is wrong in describing this chapter as ldquoperhaps the most difficult in the whole of the Old

Testamentrdquo very aptly compares with it the expression used by Herodotus (ii 108) κατετmicroήθηb

Αdγυπτος But why this strange elaboration instead of the simple name There is a divine irony in

the fact that a nation so great and glorious and (though not without reason considering its natural gifts) so full of self-consciousness should be thrown into such violent agitation in the prospect of the danger that threatened it and should be making such strenuous exertions to avert that danger when Jehovah the God of Israel was about to destroy the threatening power itself in a night and consequently all the care and trouble of Ethiopia were utterly needless

7 BI ldquoThe Ethiopians

The people here peculiarly described are the Ethiopians and the prophet prophesies the effect on Ethiopia of the judgment concerning Assyria which Jehovah executes as Drechsler has

convincingly proved and as is now universally recognised (F Delitzsch)

Ethiopia

What land is it of which the prophet speaks It is no doubt Ethiopia itself a great kingdom in the olden time For although he says ldquobeyond the rivers of Ethiopiardquo that is the Blue Nile and the White Nile and the Astaboras the meaning is perhaps more accurately ldquobesiderdquo those rivers In any event the ancient land of Ethiopia reached out to the south far beyond the confluence of those rivers in the mighty Nile including probably all upper Egypt beyond Philae Nubia and the northern portion of modern Abyssinia It was a fertile country very rich in gold ivory ebony frankincense and precious stones A country thickly inhabited by a stalwart well-formed race ldquomen of staturerdquo the prophet calls them who if they were black were yet comely It was a mighty kingdom for many centuries a rival of Egypt sometimes its enemy and apparently even its conqueror a kingdom able to make war against the Assyrians and a kingdom too carrying on a great trade by means of abundant merchandise with many people (A Ritchie)

ldquoThe land shadowing with wingsrdquo

1 Full of poetic suggestion is the expression ldquoshadowing with wingsrdquo The thought is of tender protection as the mother bird hovers over and shields her young The Psalmist is never tired of crying out to God ldquoHide me under the covering of Thy wingsrdquo It was right that Israel and Judah should cry thus to Jehovah for protection but not that they should look to the shadowing wings of Ethiopia Just as it was pathetically true that in later times our Lord should say of the Holy City ldquoO Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thy children together even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would notrdquomdashso seven hundred years earlier it was true that Judah would not seek refuge under the wings of the Lord but under the shadowing of Egypt and the covering of Ethiopia

2 In the Revised Version we have the passage rendered ldquoAh the land of the rustling of wingsrdquo Some of the old commentators find in this an allusion to the multitude of bees and the swarms of flies in Ethiopia so that there the hum of wings was never absent More picturesque is another suggestion that the reference is to the ever plashing waters of the rivers hurrying along with swift current in rapids and through cataracts until the broad bosom of father Nile was reached The swish and lapping of the rushing waters seemed to the poet like the noise made by the swift flight of many birds beating the air with strong pinions as they sweep on towards the horizon

3 If we turn to the Septuagint the Greek Old Testament we read the text thus ldquoWoe to you ye wings of the land of shipsrdquo What are the wings of the land of ships but the many sails whereby those ships flit hither and thither One sees before him a new picture The graceful dahabiehs with their long yards and triangular sails dotting the water everywhere and naturally suggesting great sea birds with outspread wings shining in the starlight white and ghostly on the calm surface of the mysterious river which is Egyptrsquos life

4 Some of the more acute Hebrew scholars point out that it is possible to understand the prophetrsquos language in yet another way ldquoWoe to the land where the shadow falleth both waysrdquo that is of course near the Equator where sometimes the shadows stretch out to the south and sometimes to the north according to the time of the year If we understand our text so it is natural to see in it an allusion to the fickleness of the Ethiopians a nation which

Judah vainly trusted in since today it would be found an ally and tomorrow an enemy (A Ritchie)

The prophetrsquos charge to the Ethiopian ambassadors

Ethiopia (Hebrews ldquoCushrdquo) corresponds generally to the modern Soudan (ie the blacks) Egypt and Ethiopia were at this time ruled by Tirkakah (704-685) His ambassadors are in Jerusalem offering an alliance against the Assyrian and the prophet sends them back to their people with the words ldquoGo ye swift messengersrdquo etc Jehovah needs no help against His enemies (A BDavidson LL D)

Note

Full stop at ldquowatersrdquo (Isa_182) and omit ldquosayingrdquo The prophet speaks ldquoGo ye swift messengers to a nation tall and smooth a nation all-powerful and subduing whose land rivers divide (intersect)rdquo ldquoSmoothrdquo may refer to the glancing bronzed skin of the people (A BDavidson LL D)

Vessels of bulrushes

It is well known that timber proper for building ships was very scarce in Egypt to supply this deficiency the Egyptians used bulrushes or a reed called papyrus of which they made vessels fit for sailing Ships and boats built of this sort of materials being extremely light and drawing very little water were admirably suited to traverse the Nile along the banks of which there were doubtless many morasses and shoals They were also very convenient and easy to be managed at the waterfalls where they might be carried with no great difficulty to smooth water From such circumstances as these we may conclude that they would sail exceeding fast and afford a very speedy conveyance of all kinds of intelligence from one part of the country to another and from Egypt to neighbouring nations In them therefore ambassadors or messengers were often sent to different places with various kinds of information after having received their orders in terms such as these ldquoGo ye swift messengersrdquo (R Macculloch)

They were made for folding together so that they could be carried past the cataracts (F Delitzsch D D)

8 PULPIT ldquoTHE HOMAGE OF ETHIOPIA TO JEHOVAH Amid the general excitement caused by the

advance of Assyria Ethiopia also is stirred and stirred to its furthest limits The king sends messengers in

beats upon the canals and rivers to summon his troops to his standard (Isa_181 Isa_182) The earth

stands agaze to see the result of the approaching collision (Isa_183) but God rests calmly in heaven

while events are ripening (Isa_184 Isa_185) When the time comes he will strike the blowmdashAssyria will

be given to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field (Isa_186) Then Ethiopia will make an act of

homage to Jehovah by the sending of a present to Jerusalem (Isa_187) The time seems to be that

immediately preceding the great invasion of Sennacherib when Shabatok the Ethiopian was King of

Egypt and Tirhakah (Tahark) either Crown Prince under him or more probably Lord Paramount of Egypt

over him and reigning at Napata

Isa_181

Woe to the land rather Ho for the land (comp Isa_1712) Shadowing with wings literally either the

land of the shadow of wings or the land of the noise of wings most probably the latter Allusion is thought

to be made to the swarms of buzzing flies especially the tsetse with which Ethiopia abounds At the

same time these swarms are perhaps intended to be taken as emblems of the hosts of warriors which

Ethiopia can send forth (comp Isa_718) Beyond the rivers of Ethiopia The prophet cannot be

supposed to have had more than a vague knowledge of African geography He seems however robe

aware that Ethiopia is a land of many rivers (see Bakers Nile Tributaries) and he assumes that the

dominion of the Ethiopian kings extends even beyond these rivers to the south of them His object is as

Mr Cheyne says to emphasize the greatness of Ethiopia It may be questioned however whether the

dominion of the Ethiopian kings of the time extended so far as he supposed The seat of their power was

Napata now Gebel Berkal in the great bend of the Nile between lat 18deg and 19deg N and its southern limit

was probably Khar-toum and the line of the Blue Nile

9 CALVIN ldquo1Woe to the land I cannot determine with certainty what is the nation of which Isaiah

speaks though he shews plainly that it bordered on Ethiopia Some consider it to refer to the whole of

Egypt but this is a mistake for in the next chapter he treats of Egypt separately from which it is evident

that the people here meant were distinct from the Egyptians Some think that the Troglodytes are here

meant which does not appear to me to be probable for they had no intercourse with other nations

because their language as geographers tell us was hissing and not speech (12) but those who are

mentioned evidently had intercourse and leagues with other nations

Still it is uncertain whether they leagued against the Jews or joined with the Egyptians in driving out the

Assyrians If they were avowed enemies to the Jews Isaiah threatens punishment but if they deceived

them by false promises he shews that nothing is to be expected from them because by idle messages

they will only protract the time However that may be from the neighboring nations to be mentioned in the

next chapter we may in part ascertain where they were situated that is not far from Egypt and Ethiopia

yet some may be disposed to view it as a description of that part of Ethiopia which lay on the sea-coast

for we shall afterwards see that the Assyrians were at war with the king of the Ethiopians (Isa_379)

When he says that that land shadows with wings we learn from it that its sea was well supplied with

harbours so that it had many vessels sailing to it and was wealthy for small and poor states could not

maintain intercourse or traffic with foreign countries He therefore means that they performed many

voyages

(12) ldquo Ethiopian Troglodytesrdquo says Herodotus ldquo the swiftest of foot of all men of whom we have received

any accounts The Troglodytes feed on serpents and lizards and reptiles of that sort and the language

which they have adopted has no resemblance to any other but they screech like bats mdash Herod 4183

FT270 ldquo vessels of bulrushesrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT271 ldquo and peeled or outspread and polishedrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT272 ldquo nation meted out and trodden downrdquo Heb ldquo nation of line and line and treading under footrdquo mdash

Eng Ver

FT273 ldquo nation meted out by line that is utterly subdued Heb Put under line and line to decide what part

of them should be destroyed and what saved by the conquerors In this manner David is described

(2Sa_82) as having dealt with the children of Moab See Lam_28 Such a nation might well deserve to

be calleddrawn out and pilled that is drawn through the fingers (or an instrument) like a willow in order to

be peeled and made fit for wicker workrdquo mdash Stock

FT274 ldquoVidebitisrdquo ldquoVous le verrezrdquo

FT275 ldquo yerdquo ldquo yerdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT276 ldquo I will consider in my dwelling-placerdquo mdash Eng Ver ldquo will rest and look round in my dwelling-placerdquo

mdash Stock

FT277 ldquo a clear heat upon herbsrdquo or ldquo rainrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT278 Like the clear heat at the coming of daylight The resting of Jehovah hovering over the enemy till

they are ripe for destruction is here beautifully compared to the condensed gloom before daylight which

is wont to usher in a hot summerrsquo day and to the sheet of dew that appears to hang over the ground in

harvest time presently after sunset עלי (ălē) is here used for near the time of as we say against such a

time אור עלי (ălēō) prope lucem adventante luce mdash Stock

FT279 Rosenmuuml takes notice of another reading supported by the Septuagint Syriac and Vulgate ביום

the heat of harvestrdquo but justly ldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר בהם at the time of harvestrdquo instead ofldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר

remarks that it makes no difference to the meaning mdash Ed

FT280 ldquo is their dead bodiesrdquo mdash Jarchi

FT281 ldquo quit the metaphor the flourishing leaders of a people devoted by Jehovah to destruction shall be

cut off and trampled on The people here spoken of are the Assyrians under Sennacheribrdquo mdash Stock

10 PULPIT ldquoThe contrast of Divine calm with human bustle hurry and excitement

When men take a matter in hand wherein they feel an interest and set themselves either to carry out a

certain design of their own or to frustrate the designs of others nothing is more remarkable than the

fuss that they make about it Heaven and earth are moved so to speak for the accomplishment of the

desired end the entire nation is excited stirred thrilled to its lowest depths a universal eagerness

prevails all is noise clamor haste bustle tumult whirl confusion Assyrias noise is compared

(Isa_1712) to the roar of the sea and the rushing of mighty waters Ethiopias stir is like the sound of

many wings (Isa_181) Even Cyrus though he has a Divine mission cannot set about it without the

noise of a multitude in the mountains like as of a great people a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of

nations gathered together (Isa_134) It is in vain that men are told to stand still and see the salvation of

God (Exo_1413) or admonished that in quietness and confidence should be their strength

(Isa_3015) they cannot bring themselves to act on the advice tendered Great minds indeed are

comparatively quiet and tranquil but even they are liable upon occasion to be swept away by the

prevailing wave of excited feeling and dragged as it were from their moorings into a turbid ocean And

the mass of mankind is wholly without calm or stability It trembles flutters rushes hither and thither

mistakes activity for energy and fussiness for the power of achievement This condition of things results

from three weaknesses in man

1 His want of patience

2 His want of confidence in himself

3 His want of confidence in God

I MANS WANT OF PATIENCE Man desires to obtain whatever end he sets himself at once The boy is

impatient to be grown up the subaltern would at once be a general the clerk a partner the student a

professor of his science Men make haste to be rich (Pro_2820) and overshoot the mark and fall hack

into poverty They strive to become world-famous when they are mere tyros and put fetch ambitions

writings which only show their ignorance They fail to recognize the force of the proverb that everything

comes to those who wait To toil long to persevere to make a small advance day after daymdashthis seems

to them a poor thing an unsatisfactory mode of procedure They would reach the end per saltum by a

bound Hence their haste Too often most haste is worst speed Vaulting ambition cloth oer leap itself

and falls on the other side

II MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IN HIMSELF He who is sure of himself can afford to wait He knows

that he will succeed in the end what matters whether a little sooner or a little later But the bulk of men

are not sure of themselves they misdoubt their powers capacities perseverance steadiness reserve

fund of energy Hence their spasmodic efforts hurried movements violent agitations frantic rushings

hither and thither If they do not gain their end at once they despair of ever attaining it They are

conscious of infinite weakness in themselves and feel that they cannot tell what a day may bring forth in

the way of defeat and disappointment They say that it is necessary to strike while the iron is hot but their

real reason for haste is that they question whether their ability to strike will not have passed away if they

delay ever so little

III MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IS GOD He who feels that God is on his side has no need to

disquiet himself He will not fear the powers of darkness he will not be afraid of what flesh can do unto

him But comparatively few men have this feeling Either they put the thoughts of God altogether away

from them or they view him as an enemy or they misdoubt at any rate his sympathy with themselves

Mostly they feel that they do not deserve his sympathy They cannot rest in the Lord and they cannot

find rest outside of him Hence they remain in perpetual disturbance and unrest Strangely in contrast with

mans unquiet is Gods immovable calm and unruffled tranquility The Lord said I will take my rest

(Isa_184) None can really resist his will and hence he has no need to trouble himself if resistance is

attempted The fierceness of man will always turn to his praise Time is no object with him who is

above time whose goings have been from the days of eternity (Mic_52) In silence and calm he

accomplishes his everlasting purposes Himself at rest in the still depths of his unchangeable nature it is

he alone who can give his creatures rest As they grow mere like to him they will grow more and more

tranquil until the time comes when they will enter finally into that rest which remaineth for his people

(Heb_49)

11 PULPIT ldquoHomage of Ethiopia to Jehovah

I AGITATION IN ETHIOPIA The oracle opens with a scene full of life Hosts of Egyptian and Ethiopian

warriors are seen like buzzing swarms of flies moving to and fro Messengers are speeding in papyrus

boats to announce the approach of the Assyrians The Ethiopians are described as a nation tall and

polished terrible strong and all-subduing whose land rivers cut through A sense of mystery and

greatness hung about this and from the earliest timesmdashthe land of the source of the Nile opened up by

our countryman Spoke and others The prophet lifts up his voice to this people A signal will be seen on

the mountains the blast of a trumpet will be heard There will be symptoms of the Divine presence

restraining overruling the wrath of men for ends of Divine wisdom When wars are carried on every one

sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the beginning and end of them to chance

On the other hand Isaiah shows that all these things ought to be ascribed to God because he will display

his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he works so as to conceal his hand and to

prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he displays his hand in it in such a manner

that all men are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the prophet meant (Calvin)

II THE WAITING OF JEHOVAH Impressive is the contrast between the noise and stir and agitation

below and the calmness above Jehovah will be stillmdashas the blue sky behind a moving host of clouds

above a surging sea below In the second psalm we have the picture of him sitting in the heavens and

laughing at the vain attempts of the enemies of the Messianic kingdom There are three thoughts here

1 The repose of God It seems as if we must ever contemplate him resting from his toils of designing and

creating and providingmdashentered on an eternal sabbath The consciousness of vast force sleeping held

in reserve we must conceive of in God Hence his stillness amidst our excitement At times when vague

movements are passing through the bosom of society many voices rend the air with opposing cries deep

questions agitate the heart and conscience of thoughtful men We long to hear the one infallible voice to

see the signal extended and yet God speaks not a word Perhaps it may be said a still small voice

saying Be still and know that I am God may be heard by acuter spiritual ears His stillness must be the

effect of infinite strength and profoundest confidence

2 His contemplativeness He looks on in his mansion Not as the Epicureans represented the gods of

the heathen sitting apart reckless of the weal or woe of men but intently watchful of the development of

things the ripening of good the gathering up of evil towards the day of sifting and judgment In a powerful

biblical image his eyes are in every place beholding the good and the evil And our thought to be in

harmony with his must in many matters and at many times fall into the mood of contemplation Instead of

seeking to theorize rashly upon the strange mixture of tendencies life at any troubled epoch presents it

were well to possess our souls in patiencemdashto look on and let both grow together till the harvest

3 His waiting attitude While there is clear heat in sunshine while there are clouds of dew in harvest-

heat he is waiting till the fruit of Assyrian annoyance is all but ripe The heat and the clouds of dew

hasten the powers in nature there are corresponding forces at work in the moral world seen by him to be

working towards certain results God can wait because he knows And may not we in a measure

compose our souls into that attitude of waiting Some things we too know about many others we can

say God knows and so leave them Especially so in times or in moods of alarm In the present case

men below see one picture of the future quite another is seen by God above To them a vast black cloud

is gathering over the horizon he sees the sun that will presently smite it asunder They see a fell harvest

of woe for themselves ripening he has the pruning-knife in his hand with which he will make havoc

among the growth They see an immense host of irresistible warriors he the birds of prey and the beasts

that will soon be feeding upon their remains Let us think of the immense reserves of force at the disposal

of Jehovah The statesman in times of alarm assures a trembling country that the resources of

civilization are not yet exhausted yet they have their limit Behind them lie the absolutely inexhaustible

resources of the living and eternal God Let our hearts be stayed on him and all will be well

III THE EFFECT ON ETHIOPIA They will bring a tribute to Jehovah Sabaoth to the Lord of hosts in his

seat on Mount Zion It is he who has done these things We find the like impressive picture passing

before a prophetic eye in Psa_6832 Kingdoms of splendor come out of Egypt Ethiopia stretches out

her hands to God The gathering of so glorious a people into the true Church is to be the result of the

manifestation of the power of Israels God

LESSONS

1 The providence of God over the Church He shows that he takes care of the Church and that though

he determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their powers In order therefore to excite them to patience

he not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation (Calvin)

2 The indestructibility of the spiritual life This must not be confounded with the institutions in which it

dwells for a time But understanding the Church in the spiritual or mystical sense it cannot perish

Calvin wrote in his day The Church is not far from despair being plundered scattered and everywhere

crushed and trodden underfoot What must be done in straits so numerous and so distressing We ought

to lay hold on these promises so as to believe that God will still preserve the Church The body may be

torn shivered into fragments and scattered still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will

never allow the remembrance and calling on his Name to perish

3 The self-concealment of God The trial of faith in all ages Oh that he would show his face bare his

arm disclose his majesty exert his power appear as Judge to end once for all the strifes of the world

But we must learn to say Gods in his heaven alls right with the world At the proper season he will

come forth If he instantly cut the wicked down and took them away like a sprouting blade of corn his

power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so fully ascertained as when he permits

them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may afterwards fall by their own weight or

like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-knives

4 The unity of religion the prophetic ideal Mount Zion was its ancient symbol for us it is not Rome nor

any other city or mountmdashit is the human heart with all its pathos its faith hope and love its regenerate

life and aspirations it is one spirit universal in mankindmdashJ

12 PULPIT ldquoThe patience of power

The most striking and distinctive truth this chapter contains is that of the patience of Divine power which

permits evil to rise and to mature and which at the right moment effectually intervenes But there are

other points beside this they aremdash

I THE MISDIRECTION OF HUMAN INTELLIGENCE Whatever may be the right translation and the true

application of these verses it is clear that reference is made to a warlike peoplemdasha people terrible to

their neighbors a people of command or treading underfoot aggressive and victorious It shows how

far we have fallen from our first estate and from the condition for which we were created that it does not

strike us as strange that this should be the description of a people that the number of nations whom it

characterizes is so great that we fail to identify the nation which is in the prophets vision Under sin it has

become common not to say natural that a nation should be terrible should be treading down or

crushing and full of commands to its neighbors But to how much better purpose might the strong

peoples of the earth devote their strength God has made rich provision for the peaceable and fruitful

exercise of our largest powers There are rivers and seas (Isa_182) for travelling exploration commerce

there is vegetation (bulrushes papyrus) which may be made to carry mens bodies or which by the

exercise of human ingenuity may be made to convey their thoughts to distant lands and remotest times

there is land and there are seeds there is sunshine and there is dew which can be made to produce

golden harvests that will satisfy mans wants and minister to his most refined tastes (Isa_184 Isa_185)

there are birds and beasts (Isa_186) with whose habits men may become intelligently familiar there is

wealth beneath the soil in precious metals which can not only be raised and collected to enrich the

homes of men but which can be conveyed as the tribute of piety to the house of the Lord (Isa_187)

But despising and neglecting such materials and such ambitions as these nations have aspired to rule

over othersmdashhave perfected themselves in all the arts and enginery of war have congratulated

themselves on nothing so much as in being terrible to those on the other side the river or across the

mountain range

II THE COMPLETENESS OF MANS OVERTHROW IN THE DAY OF DIVINE ANGER The destruction

threatened (Isa_185 Isa_186) probably refers to that of the army of Sennacherib but if the reference be

to some other national calamity it certainly points to an overthrow signal and fearful from which the

imagination turns away oppressed So has it been found both by individual men and nations that when

God arises to judgment their feeble defenses are scattered to the winds and their doom is utterly

irreversible by anything they can do to mend it (see Psa_21-12 6317-20 Psa_926 Psa_929)

III THE LESSON OF GODS JUDGMENTS The result in this case is seen in the bringing of a tribute to

the Lord (Isa_187) If God puts forth his power in overwhelming retribution it is chiefly if not wholly that

they who witness it (men or nations) may repent of their own misdeeds or impiety and may return unto

the Lord in penitence in prayer in consecration for the most acceptable present that can be brought

unto the Lord of hosts is the humbled believing obedient heart

IV THE PATIENCE OF DIVINE POWER (Isa_184) The Lord said I will fake my rest [I will be calm or

still] I will consider in my dwelling-place [I will look on from my habitation] like a clear heat upon herbs

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest God will not be provoked into hurried and impatient judgments

he will retain a Divine composure he will manifest the patience which belongs to conscious power the

heavens should be as still as on the calmest summer day while evil was working to its bitter end while sin

was advancing to its doom Here is a contrast to us and here are lessons for us We in our finite

feebleness are often impatient in spirit and hurried in action We are afraid that if we do not strike at

once we shall not have time to strike at all or that our resources of retribution will fall or that our

adversary will be out of our reach God can entertain no such fear and be affected by no such thought

1 All time is at his command

2 All resources are in his hands

3 The men (nations) whom he may find it needful to chastise can never be beyond the reach of his

power

Hence his calmness in place of our confusion his patience in contrast with our feverish restlessness

(1) Let not the wicked presume on Divine disregard God will put forth his hand in punishment at his own

chosen time

(2) Let not the righteous be surprised or disheartened by his delay he does not count time by our

chronometry he has not the reasons for haste which urge us to immediate action the hour of his merciful

intervention will arrive in timemdashC

2 which sends envoys by sea

in papyrus boats over the water

Go swift messengers

to a people tall and smooth-skinned

to a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by rivers

1BARNES ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors - That is ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send messengers What was the design of their thus sending ambassadors does not appear The prophet simply intimates the fact a fact by which they were well known It may have been for purposes of commerce or to seek protection Bochart renders the word translated lsquoambassadorsrsquo by ldquoimagesrdquo and supposes that it denotes an image of the god Osiris made of the papyrus but there

does not seem to be any reason for this opinion The word ציר tsıyr may mean an idol or image

as in Isa_4516 Psa_4915 But it usually denotes ambassadors or messengers Jos_94 Pro_2513 Pro_1317 Isa_579 Jer_4914 Oba_11

By the sea - What ldquoseardquo is here meant cannot be accurately determined The word lsquosearsquo (ים ya

m) is applied to various collections of water and may be used in reference to a sea a lake a

pond and even a large river It is often applied to the Mediterranean and where the phrase ldquoGreat Seardquo occurs it denotes that Num_346-7 Deu_1124 It is applied to the Lake of Gennesareth or the Sea of Galilee Num_3411 to the Salt Sea Gen_143 to the Red Sea often (Exo_1310 Num_1425 Num_214 Num_3310 ldquoet alrdquo) It is also applied to ldquoa large riverrdquo as ldquoe g the Nilerdquo Isa_195 Neh_38 and to the Euphrates Jer_5136 So far as this ldquowordrdquo is concerned therefore it may denote either the Mediterranean the Red Sea the Nile or the Euphrates If the country spoken of is Upper Egypt or Nubia then we are naturally led to suppose that the prophet refers either to the Nile or the Red Sea

Even in vessels of bulrushes - The word rendered lsquobulrushesrsquo (גמא gome) is derived from

the verb גמא gama ldquoto swallow sip drinkrdquo and is given to a reed or bulrush from its ldquoimbibingrdquo

water It is usually applied in the Scriptures to the Egyptian ldquopapyrusrdquo - a plant which grew on the banks of the Nile and from which we have derived our word ldquopaperrdquo lsquoThis plantrsquo says Taylor (ldquoHeb Conrdquo) lsquogrew in moist places near the Nile and was four or five yards in height Under the bark it consisted wholly of thin skins which being separated and spread out were applied to various uses Of these they made boxes and chests and even boats smearing them over with pitchrsquo These laminoe or skins also served the purpose of paper and were used instead of parchment or plates of lead and copper for writing on This plant the Cyperus Papyrus of modern botanists mostly grew in Lower Egypt in marshy land or in shallow brooks and ponds formed by the inundation of the Nile lsquoThe papyrusrsquo says Pliny lsquogrows in the marsh lands of Egypt or in the stagnant pools left inland by the Nile after it has returned to its bed which have not more than two cubits in depth

The root of the plant is the thickness of a manrsquos arm it has a triangular stalk growing not higher than ten cubits (fifteen feet) and decreasing in breadth toward the summit which is crowned with a thyrsus containing no seeds and of no use except to deck the statues of the gods They employ the roots as firewood and for making various utensils They even construct small boats of the plant and out of the rind sails mats clothes bedding ropes they eat it either crude or cooked swallowing only the juice and when they manufacture paper from it they divide the stem by means of a kind of needle into thin plates or laminae each of which is as large as the plant will admit All the paper is woven upon a table and is continually moistened with Nile water which being thick and slimy furnishes an effectual species of glue In the first place they form upon a table pefectly horizontal a layer the whole length of the papyrus which is crossed by another placed transversely and afterward enclosed within a press

The different sheets are then hung in a situation exposed to the sun in order to dry and the process is finally completed by joining them together beginning with the best There are seldom more than twenty slips or stripes produced from one stem of the plantrsquo (Pliny xiii 11 12) Wilkinson remarks that lsquothe mode of making papyri was this the interior of the stalks of the plant after the rind had been removed was cut into thin slices in the direction of their length and these being laid on a flat board in succession similar slices were placed over them at right angles and their surfaces being cemented together by a sort of glue and subjected to the proper deuce of pressure and well dried the papyrus was completedrsquo (ldquoAncient Egyptiansrdquo vol iii p 148) The word used here is translated lsquobulrushesrsquo in Exo_23 where the little ark is described in which Moses was laid near the Nile the lsquorushrsquo in Job_811 and lsquorushesrsquo in Isa_357

It does not elsewhere occur That the ancients were in the practice of making light boats or vessels from the papyrus is well known Thus Theophrastus (in the ldquoHistory of Plantsrdquo iv 9)

says that lsquothe papyrus is useful for many things for from this they make vesselsrsquo or ships (πλοeα

ploia) Thus Pliny (xiii 11 22) says ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt - lsquofrom the papyrus

they weave vesselsrsquo Again (vi 56 57) lsquoEven nowrsquo says he lsquoin the Britannic Ocean useful vessels are made of bark on the Nile from the papyrus and from reeds and rushesrsquo Plutarch describes Isis going in search of the body of Osiris lsquothrough the fenny country in a bark made of the

papyrus (fνβαριδιπαπυοινη en baridi papnoine) where it is supposed that persons using boats of

this description (fνπαπυρινοιςhκαφεσιπλωοντας en papurinois okaphisi pleontas) are never attacked by crocodiles out of respect to the goddessrsquo (De Isa_181-7) Moses also it will be remembered was exposed on the banks of the Nile in a similar boat or ark lsquoShe took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it With slime and with pitch and put the child thereinrsquo Exo_23

The same word occurs here (גמא gome) which is used by Isaiah and this fact shows that such boats were known as early as the time of Moses Lucan also mentions boats made of the papyrus at Memphis

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro - Phar iv 136

At Memphis boats are woven together from the marshy papyrus

The sculptures of Thebes Memphis and other places abundantly show that they were employed as punts or canoes for fishing in all parts of Egypt during the inundation of the Nilersquo (Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians vol iii p 186) In our own country also it will be remembered the natives were accustomed to make canoes or vessels of the bark of the birch with which they

often adventured on even dangerous navigation The circumstance here mentioned of the גמא go

me (the papyrus) seems to fix the scene of this prophecy to the region of the Nile This reed

grew nowhere else and it is natural therefore to suppose that some nation living near the Nile is intended Taylor the editor of Calmet has shown that the inhabitants of the upper regions of the Nile were accustomed to form floats of hollow earthen vessels and to weave them together with rushes and thus to convey them to Lower Egypt to market He supposes that by lsquovessels of bulrushesrsquo or rush floats are meant such vessels (For a description of the ldquofloatsrdquo made in Upper Egypt with ldquojarsrdquo see Pocockersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo vol i p 84 Ed London 1743) lsquoI first saw in this voyage (on the Nile) the large floats of earthen-ware they are about thirty feet wide and sixty feet long being a frame of palm boughs tied together about four feet deep on which they put a layer of large jars with the mouths uppermost on these they make another floor and then put on another layer of jars and so a third which last are so disposed as to trim the float and leave room for the men to go between The float lies across the river one end being lower down than the other toward the lower end on each side they have four long poles with which they row and direct the boat as well as forward the motion downrsquo Mr Bruce in his ldquoTravelsrdquo mentions vessels made of the papyrus in Abyssinia

Upon the waters - The waters of the Nile or the Red Sea

Saying - This word is not in the Hebrew and the introduction of it by the translators gives a peculiar and probably an incorrect sense to the whole passage As it stands here it would seem to be the language of the inhabitants of the land who sent the ambassadors usually saying to their messengers to go to a distant nation and this introduces an inquiry into the characteristics of the nation to ldquowhomrdquo the ambassadors are sent as if it were a ldquodifferentrdquo people from those who are mentioned in Isa_171 But probably the words which follow are to be regarded as the words of the prophet or of God Isa_174 giving commandment to those messengers to ldquoreturnrdquo to those who sent them and deliver the message which follows lsquoYou send messengers to distant nations in reed boats upon the rivers Return says God to the land which sent you foth and

announce to them the will of God Go rapidly in your light vessels and bear this message for it shall speedily be executed and I will sit calmly and see it donersquo Isa_174-6 A remarkably similar passage which throws great light on this occurs in Eze_309 lsquoIn that day shall messengers go forth from me (God) in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it comethrsquo

Go ye swift messengers - Hebrew lsquoLight messengersrsquo This is evidently addressed to the boats Achilles Tatius says that they were frequently so light and small that they would carry but one person (Rosenmuller)

To a nation - What nation this was is not known The ldquoobviousrdquo import of the passge is that it was some nation to whom they were ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send ambassadors and that it is here added merely as ldquodescriptiverdquo of the people Two or three characterstics of the nation are mentioned from which we may better learn what people are referred to

Scattered - (ממשך memushak) This word is derived from משך mashak ldquoto seize take hold fastrdquo to draw out extend or prolong to make double or strong to spread out The Septuagint

renders it kθνοςmicroετέωρον Ethnos meteoron - lsquoA lofty nationrsquo Chaldee lsquoA people suffering violencersquo Syraic lsquoA nation distortedrsquo Vulgate lsquoA people convulsed and laceratedrsquo It ldquomayrdquo denote a people ldquospread outrdquo over a great extent of country or a people ldquodrawn out in lengthrdquo - that is extended over a country of considerable length but of comparatively narrow breadth as Egypt is so Vitringa understands it Or it may mean a people ldquostrong valiantrdquo so Gesenius understands it This best suits the connection as being a people lsquoterrible hithertorsquo Perhaps all these ideas may be united by the supposition that the nation was drawn out or extended over a large region and was ldquothereforerdquo a powerful or mighty people The idea of its being ldquoscatteredrdquo is not in the text Taylor renders it lsquoA people of short stature contracted in height that is dwarfsrsquo But the idea in the text is not one that is descriptive of ldquoindividualsrdquo but of the ldquocollectedrdquo nation the people

And peeled - (מרט moratʖ from מרט maratʖ) to make smooth or sharpen as a swordrdquo Ezek

2114-32 then to make smooth the head of any one to pluck off his hair Ezr_93 Neh_1325

Isa_506) The Septuagint renders it Ξένονλαpνκαχαλεπόν Cenon laon kai chalepon - lsquoA foreign and wicked peoplersquo Vulgate lsquoTo a people laceratedrsquo The Syriac renders the whole verse lsquoGo swift messengers to a people perverse and torn to a people whose strength has been long since taken away a people defiled and trodden down whose land the rivers have spoiledrsquo The word used here is capable of two significations

(1) It may denote a people who are shaved or made smooth by removing the hair from the body It is known to have been the custom with the Egyptians to make their bodies smooth by shaving off the hair as Herodotus testifies (xi 37) Or

(2) It may be translated as Gesenius proposes a people valiant fierce bold from the sense which the verb has ldquoto sharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115-16

The former is the most obvious interpretation and agrees best with the proper meaning of the Hebrew word the latter would perhaps better suit the connection The editor of Calmer supposes that it is to be taken in the sense of ldquodiminished small dwarfishrdquo and would apply it to the ldquopigmiesrdquo of Upper Egypt

To a people terrible - That is warlike fierce cruel Hebrew lsquoA people fearedrsquo If the Egyptians are meant it may refer to the fact that they had always been an object of terror and alarm to the Israelites from their early oppressions there before their deliverance under Moses

From their beginning hitherto - Hebrew lsquoFrom this time and formerlyrsquo It has been their general character that they were a fierce harsh oppressive nation Gesenius however renders this lsquoTo the formidable nation (and) further beyondrsquo and supposes that two nations are referred

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

In opposition to other interpretations of these words which have prevailed it may be briefly

observed that צלצל tsiltsel is never used to signify shadow nor is כנף canaph applied to the sails of ships If therefore the words are rightly interpreted the winged cymbal meaning the sistrum Egypt must be the country to which the prophecy is addressed And upon this hypothesis the version and explanation must proceed I farther suppose that the prophecy was delivered before Sennacheribrsquos return from his Egyptian expedition which took up three years and that it was designed to give to the Jews and perhaps likewise to the Egyptians an intimation of Godrsquos counsels in regard to the destruction of their great and powerful enemy

Which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia ldquoWhich borders on the rivers of Cushrdquo - What are the rivers of Cush whether the eastern branches of the lower Nile the boundary of Egypt towards Arabia or the parts of the upper Nile towards Ethiopia it is not easy to

determine The word מעבר meeber signifies either on this side or on the farther side I have made

use of the same kind of ambiguous expression in the translation

3 GILL ldquoWoe to the land shadowing with wings Or O land as calling to it so Aben Ezra and Kimchi It is very difficult to determine what land is here meant some think the land of Assyria is here designed as Aben Ezra and others and so it is a continuation of the prophecy concerning the destruction of the Assyrians in the three last verses of the preceding chapter Isa_1712 the stretching out of whose wings is mentioned Isa_88 and thought to be referred to here others are of opinion that the land of Judea is intended which trusted under the shadow of the wings of Egypt and Ethiopia to whom the characters in the next verse Isa_182 are supposed to belong but the more generally received sense is that either Egypt or Ethiopia themselves are pointed at described as shadowing with wings not with the wings of birds as Jarchi interprets it which flocked thither in great numbers the country being hot and so shaded it with their wings but rather with mountains with which Ethiopia at least some part of it was encompassed and shaded or else with ships whose sails are like wings and which resorting hither in numerous fleets of them and hovering about their coasts and ports seemed to shadow them to which agrees the Septuagint version Woe to the land the wings of ships and so the Targum Woe to the land to which they come in ships from a far country whose sails are stretched out as an eagle that flies with its wings so Manasseh Ben Israel (c) renders them Woe to the land which under the shadow of veils falls beyond the rivers of Ethiopia The word translated shadowing is used for a cymbal 2Sa_65 Psa_1505 and so it is rendered here in the Vulgate Latin version Woe to the land with the cymbal of wings and some think the sistrum is meant which was a musical instrument used by the Egyptians in their worship of Isis and which had wings to it or had transverse rods in the middle of it which looked like wings one of which may be seen in Pignorius (d) and so it describes the land of Egypt famous for its winged cymbals Minucius Felix (e) makes mention of the swallow along with the sistrum which was a bird of Isis and which some say was placed over the statue of Isis with its wings stretched out

Which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia the principal of which were Astaboras and Astapus (f) and also Nile itself which came out of Ethiopia into Egypt or which is on this side of the rivers of Ethiopia (g) and so may intend Egypt which bordered on this side of it towards Judea or which is beside the rivers of Ethiopia (h) and so may denote Ethiopia itself situated by these rivers The Targum renders it the rivers of Judea Some would have it that the rivers of Arabia Chusaea are meant which lay between Judea and Egypt as Besor Rhinocorura Trajan and Corys and Arabia seems rather to be meant by Cush than Ethiopia in Africa since that lay beyond the rivers of Egypt rather than Egypt beyond the rivers of Ethiopia

4 HENRY ldquoInterpreters are very much at a loss where to find this land that lies beyond the

rivers of Cush Some take it to be Egypt a maritime country and full of rivers and which

courted Israel to depend upon them but proved broken reeds but against this it is strongly

objected that the next chapter is distinguished from this by the title of the burden of Egypt

Others take it to be Ethiopia and read it which lies near or about the rivers of Ethiopia not

that in Africa which lay south of Egypt but that which we call Arabia which lay east of Canaan

which Tirhakah was now king of He thought to protect the Jews as it were under the shadow

of his wings by giving a powerful diversion to the king of Assyria when he made a descent upon

his country at the time that he was attacking Jerusalem 2Ki_199 But though by his

ambassadors he bade defiance to the king of Assyria and encouraged the Jews to depend upon

him God by the prophet slights him and will not go forth with him he may take his own course

but God will take another course to protect Jerusalem while he suffers the attempt of Tirhakah

to miscarry and his Arabian army to be ruined for the Assyrian army shall become a present or

sacrifice to the Lord of hosts and to the place of his name by the hand of an angel not by the

hand of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia Isa_187 This is a very probable exposition of this chapter

But from a hint of Dr Lightfoots in his Harmony of the Old Testament I incline to understand

this chapter as a prophecy against Assyria and so a continuation of the prophecy in the last

three verses of the foregoing chapter with which therefore this should be joined That was

against the army of the Assyrians which rushed in upon Judah this is against the land of Assyria

itself which lay beyond the rivers of Arabia that is the rivers Euphrates and Tigris which

bordered on Arabia Deserta And in calling it the land shadowing with wings he seems to refer

to what he himself had said of it (Isa_88) that the stretching out of his wings shall fill the

breadth of thy land O Immanuel The prophet might perhaps describe the Assyrians by such

dark expressions not naming them for the same reason that St Paul in his prophecy speaks of

the Roman empire by a periphrasis He who now letteth 2Th_27 Here is

5 JAMISON ldquo

Isa_181-7 Isaiah announces the overthrow of Sennacheribrsquos hosts and desires the Ethiopian ambassadors now in Jerusalem to bring word of it to their own nation and he calls on the whole world to witness the event (Isa_183) As Isa_1712-14 announced the presence of the foe so Isa_181-7 foretells his overthrow

Woe mdash The heading in English Version ldquoGod will destroy the Ethiopiansrdquo is a mistake arising from the wrong rendering ldquoWoerdquo whereas the Hebrew does not express a threat but is an appeal calling attention (Isa_551 Zec_26) ldquoHordquo He is not speaking against but to the Ethiopians calling on them to hear his prophetical announcement as to the destruction of their enemies

shadowing with wings mdash rather ldquoland of the winged barkrdquo that is ldquobarks with wing-like sails answering to vessels of bulrushesrdquo in Isa_182 the word ldquoriversrdquo in the parallelism also favors it so the Septuagint and Chaldee [Ewald] ldquoLand of the clanging sound of wingsrdquo that is armies as in Isa_88 the rendering ldquobarkrdquo or ldquoshiprdquo is rather dubious [Maurer] The armies referred to are those of Tirhakah advancing to meet the Assyrians (Isa_379) In English Version ldquoshadowingrdquo means protecting - stretching out its wings to defend a feeble people namely the Hebrews [Vitringa] The Hebrew for ldquowingsrdquo is the same as for the idol Cneph which was represented in temple sculptures with wings (Psa_914)

beyond mdash Meroe the island between the ldquoriversrdquo 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 ldquoTirhakahrdquo in the inscriptions This island region was probably the chief part of Queen Candacersquos kingdom (Act_827) For ldquobeyondrdquo others translate less literally ldquowhich borderest onrdquo

Ethiopia mdash literally ldquoCushrdquo Horsley is probably right that the ultimate and fullest reference of the prophecy is to the restoration of the Jews in the Holy Land through the instrumentality of some distant people skilled in navigation (Isa_182 Isa_609 Isa_6010 Psa_4515 Psa_6831 Zep_310) Phoenician voyagers coasting along would speak of all Western remote lands as ldquobeyondrdquo the Nilersquos mouths ldquoCushrdquo 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 (Gen_213)

6 KampD 1-3 ldquoThe prophecy commences with hoi which never signifies heus but always vae

(woe) Here however it differs from Isa_1712 and is an expression of compassion (cf Isa_551 Zec_210) rather than of anger for the fact that the mighty Ethiopia is oppressed by the still mightier Asshur is a humiliation which Jehovah has prepared for the former Isa_181 Isa_182 ldquoWoe to the land of the whirring of wings which is beyond the rivers of Cush that sends ambassadors into the sea and in boats of papyrus over the face of the watersrdquo The land

of Cush commences according to Eze_2910 (cf Isa_306) where Upper Egypt ends The Seve

neh (Aswan) mentioned by Ezekiel is the boundary-point at which the Nile enters Mizraim

proper and which is still a depot for goods coming from the south down the Nile The nahare-

Cush (rivers of Cush) are chiefly those that surround the Cushite Seba (Gen_107) This is the

name given to the present Sennacircr the Meroitic island which is enclosed between the White and Blue Nile (the Astapos of Ptolemy or the present Bahr el-Abyad and the Astaboras of Ptolemy or the present Bahr el-Azrak) According to the latest researches more especially those of Speke the White Nile which takes its rise in the Lake of Nyanza is the chief source of the Nile

The latter and the Blue Nile whose confluence (makran) with it takes place in lat 15deg 25acute are

fed by many larger or smaller tributary streams (as well as mountain torrents) the Blue Nile

even more than the Nile proper And this abundance of water in the land to the south of Seveneh and still farther south beyond Seba (or Meroeuml) might very well have been known to the prophet as a general fact The land ldquobeyond the rivers of Cushrdquo is the land bounded by the sources of the Nile ie (including Ethiopia itself in the stricter sense of the word) the south land under Ethiopian rule that lay still deeper in the heart of the country the land of its African auxiliary tribes whose names (which probably include the later Nubians and Abyssinians) as given in 2Ch_123 Nah_39 Eze_305 Jer_469 suppose a minuteness of information which has not yet been attained by modern research To this Ethiopia which is designated by its farthest limits (compare Zep_310 where Wolff in his book of Judith erroneously supposes Media to be

intended as the Asiatic Cush) the prophets give the strange name of eretz tziltzal cenap This has been interpreted as meaning ldquothe land of the wings of an army with clashing armsrdquo by Gesenius

and others but cenaphaim does not occur in this sense like agappim in Ezekiel Others render it

ldquothe land of the noise of wavesrdquo (Umbreit) but cenaphaim cannot be used of waters except in

such a connection as Isa_88 Moreover tziltzal is not a fitting onomatopoetic word either for

the clashing of arms or the noise of waves Others again render it ldquothe land of the double shadowrdquo (Grotius Vitringa Knobel and others) but however appropriate this epithet might be to Ethiopia as a tropical land it is very hazardous to take the word in a sense which is not sustained by the usage of the language and the same objection may be brought against Luzzattos ldquoland of the far-shadowing defencerdquo Shelling has also suggested another objection - namely that the shadow thrown even in tropical lands is not a double one falling northwards and southwards at the same time and therefore that it cannot be figuratively described as

double-winged Tziltzal cenaphaim is the buzzing of the wings of insects with which Egypt and

Ethiopia swarmed on account of the climate and the abundance of water צלצל constr צלצל tinnitus stridor a primary meaning from which the other three meanings of the word-cymbal harpoon (a whirring dart) and grasshopper

(Note Schroumlring supposes tziltzal to be the scarabaeus sacer (Linn) but it would be much

more natural if any particular animal is intended to think of the tzaltzalya as it is called in

the language of the Gallas the tzetze in the Betschuana language the most dreaded diptera

of the interior of Africa a species of glossina which attacks all the larger mammalia (though not men) Vid Hartmann Naturgeschichtlich-medic Skizze der Nillaumlnder Abth i p 205)

- are derived In Isa_718 the forces of Egypt are called ldquothe fly from the end of the rivers of Egyptrdquo Here Egypt and Ethiopia are called the land of the whirring of wings inasmuch as the prophet had in his mind under the designation of swarms of insects the motley swarms of different people included in this great kingdom that were so fabulously strange to an Asiatic Within this great kingdom messengers were now passing to and fro upon its great waters in

boats of papyrus (on gome Copt ‛gome Talm gami see at Job_811) Greek βαρίδεςπαπύριναι (β

αρίς from the Egyptian bari bali a barque) In such vessels as these and with Egyptian tackle they went as far as the remote island of Taprobane The boats were made to clap together

(pilcatiles) so as to be carried past the cataracts (Parthey on Plutarch de Iside pp 198-9) And it

is to these messengers in their paper boats that the appeal of the prophet is addressed

He sends them home and what they are to say to their own people is generalized into an announcement to the whole earth ldquoGo swift messengers to the people stretched out and polished to the terrible people far away on the other side to the nation of command upon

command and treading down whose land rivers cut through All ye possessors of the globe and inhabitants of the earth when a banner rises on the mountains look ye and when they blow the trumpets hearkenrdquo We learn from what follows to what it is that the attention of Ethiopia and all the nations of the earth is directed it is the destruction of Asshur by Jehovah They are to attend when they observe the two signals the banner and the trumpet-blast these are decisive moments Because Jehovah was about to deliver the world from the conquering might of Assyria against which the Ethiopian kingdom was now summoning all the means of self-defence the prophet sends the messengers home Their own people to which he sends them

home are elaborately described They are memusshak stretched out ie very tall (lxx Kθνοςmicroετέ

ωρον) just as the Sabaeans are said to have been in Isa_4514 They are also morat = memorat (Ges sect52 Anm 6) smoothed politus ie either not disfigured by an ugly growth of hair or else without any reference to depilation but rather with reference to the bronze colour of their skin smooth and shining with healthy freshness The description which Herodotus gives of the

Ethiopians microέγιστοικακάλλιστοιQνθρώπωνπάντων (iii 20) quite answers to these first two predicates They are still further described with reference to the wide extent of their kingdom

which reached to the remotest south as ldquothe terrible nation הSאמן־הו והל rdquo ie from this point

where the prophet meets with the messengers farther and farther off (compare 1Sa_2021-22 but not 1Sa_189 where the expression has a chronological meaning which would be less

suitable here where everything is so pictorial and which is also to be rejected because אמן־הו

cannot be equivalent to הוא cf Nah_29) We may see from Isa_2810 Isa_2813 what ka מאשר

v (kaZv with connecting accusatives and before makkeph) a measuring or levelling line signifies

when used by the prophet with the reduplication which he employs here it is a people of ldquocommand upon commandrdquo - that is to say a commanding nation (according to Ewald

Knobel and others kav is equivalent to the Arabic kuwe strength a nation of double or gigantic

strength) ldquoA people of treading downrdquo (sc of others mebusah is a second genitive to goi) ie one which subdues and tramples down wherever it appears These are all distinctive predicates - a nation of imposing grandeur a ruling and conquering nation The last predicate extols its

fertile land זא we take not in the sense of diripere or as equivalent to bazaz like מ^ס to melt

equivalent to masas but in the sense of findere ie as equivalent to בזע like מא_ to sip = מע_ For it is no praise to say that a land is scoured out or washed away by rivers Boumlttcher who is wrong in describing this chapter as ldquoperhaps the most difficult in the whole of the Old

Testamentrdquo very aptly compares with it the expression used by Herodotus (ii 108) κατετmicroήθηb

Αdγυπτος But why this strange elaboration instead of the simple name There is a divine irony in

the fact that a nation so great and glorious and (though not without reason considering its natural gifts) so full of self-consciousness should be thrown into such violent agitation in the prospect of the danger that threatened it and should be making such strenuous exertions to avert that danger when Jehovah the God of Israel was about to destroy the threatening power itself in a night and consequently all the care and trouble of Ethiopia were utterly needless

7 BI ldquoThe Ethiopians

The people here peculiarly described are the Ethiopians and the prophet prophesies the effect on Ethiopia of the judgment concerning Assyria which Jehovah executes as Drechsler has

convincingly proved and as is now universally recognised (F Delitzsch)

Ethiopia

What land is it of which the prophet speaks It is no doubt Ethiopia itself a great kingdom in the olden time For although he says ldquobeyond the rivers of Ethiopiardquo that is the Blue Nile and the White Nile and the Astaboras the meaning is perhaps more accurately ldquobesiderdquo those rivers In any event the ancient land of Ethiopia reached out to the south far beyond the confluence of those rivers in the mighty Nile including probably all upper Egypt beyond Philae Nubia and the northern portion of modern Abyssinia It was a fertile country very rich in gold ivory ebony frankincense and precious stones A country thickly inhabited by a stalwart well-formed race ldquomen of staturerdquo the prophet calls them who if they were black were yet comely It was a mighty kingdom for many centuries a rival of Egypt sometimes its enemy and apparently even its conqueror a kingdom able to make war against the Assyrians and a kingdom too carrying on a great trade by means of abundant merchandise with many people (A Ritchie)

ldquoThe land shadowing with wingsrdquo

1 Full of poetic suggestion is the expression ldquoshadowing with wingsrdquo The thought is of tender protection as the mother bird hovers over and shields her young The Psalmist is never tired of crying out to God ldquoHide me under the covering of Thy wingsrdquo It was right that Israel and Judah should cry thus to Jehovah for protection but not that they should look to the shadowing wings of Ethiopia Just as it was pathetically true that in later times our Lord should say of the Holy City ldquoO Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thy children together even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would notrdquomdashso seven hundred years earlier it was true that Judah would not seek refuge under the wings of the Lord but under the shadowing of Egypt and the covering of Ethiopia

2 In the Revised Version we have the passage rendered ldquoAh the land of the rustling of wingsrdquo Some of the old commentators find in this an allusion to the multitude of bees and the swarms of flies in Ethiopia so that there the hum of wings was never absent More picturesque is another suggestion that the reference is to the ever plashing waters of the rivers hurrying along with swift current in rapids and through cataracts until the broad bosom of father Nile was reached The swish and lapping of the rushing waters seemed to the poet like the noise made by the swift flight of many birds beating the air with strong pinions as they sweep on towards the horizon

3 If we turn to the Septuagint the Greek Old Testament we read the text thus ldquoWoe to you ye wings of the land of shipsrdquo What are the wings of the land of ships but the many sails whereby those ships flit hither and thither One sees before him a new picture The graceful dahabiehs with their long yards and triangular sails dotting the water everywhere and naturally suggesting great sea birds with outspread wings shining in the starlight white and ghostly on the calm surface of the mysterious river which is Egyptrsquos life

4 Some of the more acute Hebrew scholars point out that it is possible to understand the prophetrsquos language in yet another way ldquoWoe to the land where the shadow falleth both waysrdquo that is of course near the Equator where sometimes the shadows stretch out to the south and sometimes to the north according to the time of the year If we understand our text so it is natural to see in it an allusion to the fickleness of the Ethiopians a nation which

Judah vainly trusted in since today it would be found an ally and tomorrow an enemy (A Ritchie)

The prophetrsquos charge to the Ethiopian ambassadors

Ethiopia (Hebrews ldquoCushrdquo) corresponds generally to the modern Soudan (ie the blacks) Egypt and Ethiopia were at this time ruled by Tirkakah (704-685) His ambassadors are in Jerusalem offering an alliance against the Assyrian and the prophet sends them back to their people with the words ldquoGo ye swift messengersrdquo etc Jehovah needs no help against His enemies (A BDavidson LL D)

Note

Full stop at ldquowatersrdquo (Isa_182) and omit ldquosayingrdquo The prophet speaks ldquoGo ye swift messengers to a nation tall and smooth a nation all-powerful and subduing whose land rivers divide (intersect)rdquo ldquoSmoothrdquo may refer to the glancing bronzed skin of the people (A BDavidson LL D)

Vessels of bulrushes

It is well known that timber proper for building ships was very scarce in Egypt to supply this deficiency the Egyptians used bulrushes or a reed called papyrus of which they made vessels fit for sailing Ships and boats built of this sort of materials being extremely light and drawing very little water were admirably suited to traverse the Nile along the banks of which there were doubtless many morasses and shoals They were also very convenient and easy to be managed at the waterfalls where they might be carried with no great difficulty to smooth water From such circumstances as these we may conclude that they would sail exceeding fast and afford a very speedy conveyance of all kinds of intelligence from one part of the country to another and from Egypt to neighbouring nations In them therefore ambassadors or messengers were often sent to different places with various kinds of information after having received their orders in terms such as these ldquoGo ye swift messengersrdquo (R Macculloch)

They were made for folding together so that they could be carried past the cataracts (F Delitzsch D D)

8 PULPIT ldquoTHE HOMAGE OF ETHIOPIA TO JEHOVAH Amid the general excitement caused by the

advance of Assyria Ethiopia also is stirred and stirred to its furthest limits The king sends messengers in

beats upon the canals and rivers to summon his troops to his standard (Isa_181 Isa_182) The earth

stands agaze to see the result of the approaching collision (Isa_183) but God rests calmly in heaven

while events are ripening (Isa_184 Isa_185) When the time comes he will strike the blowmdashAssyria will

be given to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field (Isa_186) Then Ethiopia will make an act of

homage to Jehovah by the sending of a present to Jerusalem (Isa_187) The time seems to be that

immediately preceding the great invasion of Sennacherib when Shabatok the Ethiopian was King of

Egypt and Tirhakah (Tahark) either Crown Prince under him or more probably Lord Paramount of Egypt

over him and reigning at Napata

Isa_181

Woe to the land rather Ho for the land (comp Isa_1712) Shadowing with wings literally either the

land of the shadow of wings or the land of the noise of wings most probably the latter Allusion is thought

to be made to the swarms of buzzing flies especially the tsetse with which Ethiopia abounds At the

same time these swarms are perhaps intended to be taken as emblems of the hosts of warriors which

Ethiopia can send forth (comp Isa_718) Beyond the rivers of Ethiopia The prophet cannot be

supposed to have had more than a vague knowledge of African geography He seems however robe

aware that Ethiopia is a land of many rivers (see Bakers Nile Tributaries) and he assumes that the

dominion of the Ethiopian kings extends even beyond these rivers to the south of them His object is as

Mr Cheyne says to emphasize the greatness of Ethiopia It may be questioned however whether the

dominion of the Ethiopian kings of the time extended so far as he supposed The seat of their power was

Napata now Gebel Berkal in the great bend of the Nile between lat 18deg and 19deg N and its southern limit

was probably Khar-toum and the line of the Blue Nile

9 CALVIN ldquo1Woe to the land I cannot determine with certainty what is the nation of which Isaiah

speaks though he shews plainly that it bordered on Ethiopia Some consider it to refer to the whole of

Egypt but this is a mistake for in the next chapter he treats of Egypt separately from which it is evident

that the people here meant were distinct from the Egyptians Some think that the Troglodytes are here

meant which does not appear to me to be probable for they had no intercourse with other nations

because their language as geographers tell us was hissing and not speech (12) but those who are

mentioned evidently had intercourse and leagues with other nations

Still it is uncertain whether they leagued against the Jews or joined with the Egyptians in driving out the

Assyrians If they were avowed enemies to the Jews Isaiah threatens punishment but if they deceived

them by false promises he shews that nothing is to be expected from them because by idle messages

they will only protract the time However that may be from the neighboring nations to be mentioned in the

next chapter we may in part ascertain where they were situated that is not far from Egypt and Ethiopia

yet some may be disposed to view it as a description of that part of Ethiopia which lay on the sea-coast

for we shall afterwards see that the Assyrians were at war with the king of the Ethiopians (Isa_379)

When he says that that land shadows with wings we learn from it that its sea was well supplied with

harbours so that it had many vessels sailing to it and was wealthy for small and poor states could not

maintain intercourse or traffic with foreign countries He therefore means that they performed many

voyages

(12) ldquo Ethiopian Troglodytesrdquo says Herodotus ldquo the swiftest of foot of all men of whom we have received

any accounts The Troglodytes feed on serpents and lizards and reptiles of that sort and the language

which they have adopted has no resemblance to any other but they screech like bats mdash Herod 4183

FT270 ldquo vessels of bulrushesrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT271 ldquo and peeled or outspread and polishedrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT272 ldquo nation meted out and trodden downrdquo Heb ldquo nation of line and line and treading under footrdquo mdash

Eng Ver

FT273 ldquo nation meted out by line that is utterly subdued Heb Put under line and line to decide what part

of them should be destroyed and what saved by the conquerors In this manner David is described

(2Sa_82) as having dealt with the children of Moab See Lam_28 Such a nation might well deserve to

be calleddrawn out and pilled that is drawn through the fingers (or an instrument) like a willow in order to

be peeled and made fit for wicker workrdquo mdash Stock

FT274 ldquoVidebitisrdquo ldquoVous le verrezrdquo

FT275 ldquo yerdquo ldquo yerdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT276 ldquo I will consider in my dwelling-placerdquo mdash Eng Ver ldquo will rest and look round in my dwelling-placerdquo

mdash Stock

FT277 ldquo a clear heat upon herbsrdquo or ldquo rainrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT278 Like the clear heat at the coming of daylight The resting of Jehovah hovering over the enemy till

they are ripe for destruction is here beautifully compared to the condensed gloom before daylight which

is wont to usher in a hot summerrsquo day and to the sheet of dew that appears to hang over the ground in

harvest time presently after sunset עלי (ălē) is here used for near the time of as we say against such a

time אור עלי (ălēō) prope lucem adventante luce mdash Stock

FT279 Rosenmuuml takes notice of another reading supported by the Septuagint Syriac and Vulgate ביום

the heat of harvestrdquo but justly ldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר בהם at the time of harvestrdquo instead ofldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר

remarks that it makes no difference to the meaning mdash Ed

FT280 ldquo is their dead bodiesrdquo mdash Jarchi

FT281 ldquo quit the metaphor the flourishing leaders of a people devoted by Jehovah to destruction shall be

cut off and trampled on The people here spoken of are the Assyrians under Sennacheribrdquo mdash Stock

10 PULPIT ldquoThe contrast of Divine calm with human bustle hurry and excitement

When men take a matter in hand wherein they feel an interest and set themselves either to carry out a

certain design of their own or to frustrate the designs of others nothing is more remarkable than the

fuss that they make about it Heaven and earth are moved so to speak for the accomplishment of the

desired end the entire nation is excited stirred thrilled to its lowest depths a universal eagerness

prevails all is noise clamor haste bustle tumult whirl confusion Assyrias noise is compared

(Isa_1712) to the roar of the sea and the rushing of mighty waters Ethiopias stir is like the sound of

many wings (Isa_181) Even Cyrus though he has a Divine mission cannot set about it without the

noise of a multitude in the mountains like as of a great people a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of

nations gathered together (Isa_134) It is in vain that men are told to stand still and see the salvation of

God (Exo_1413) or admonished that in quietness and confidence should be their strength

(Isa_3015) they cannot bring themselves to act on the advice tendered Great minds indeed are

comparatively quiet and tranquil but even they are liable upon occasion to be swept away by the

prevailing wave of excited feeling and dragged as it were from their moorings into a turbid ocean And

the mass of mankind is wholly without calm or stability It trembles flutters rushes hither and thither

mistakes activity for energy and fussiness for the power of achievement This condition of things results

from three weaknesses in man

1 His want of patience

2 His want of confidence in himself

3 His want of confidence in God

I MANS WANT OF PATIENCE Man desires to obtain whatever end he sets himself at once The boy is

impatient to be grown up the subaltern would at once be a general the clerk a partner the student a

professor of his science Men make haste to be rich (Pro_2820) and overshoot the mark and fall hack

into poverty They strive to become world-famous when they are mere tyros and put fetch ambitions

writings which only show their ignorance They fail to recognize the force of the proverb that everything

comes to those who wait To toil long to persevere to make a small advance day after daymdashthis seems

to them a poor thing an unsatisfactory mode of procedure They would reach the end per saltum by a

bound Hence their haste Too often most haste is worst speed Vaulting ambition cloth oer leap itself

and falls on the other side

II MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IN HIMSELF He who is sure of himself can afford to wait He knows

that he will succeed in the end what matters whether a little sooner or a little later But the bulk of men

are not sure of themselves they misdoubt their powers capacities perseverance steadiness reserve

fund of energy Hence their spasmodic efforts hurried movements violent agitations frantic rushings

hither and thither If they do not gain their end at once they despair of ever attaining it They are

conscious of infinite weakness in themselves and feel that they cannot tell what a day may bring forth in

the way of defeat and disappointment They say that it is necessary to strike while the iron is hot but their

real reason for haste is that they question whether their ability to strike will not have passed away if they

delay ever so little

III MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IS GOD He who feels that God is on his side has no need to

disquiet himself He will not fear the powers of darkness he will not be afraid of what flesh can do unto

him But comparatively few men have this feeling Either they put the thoughts of God altogether away

from them or they view him as an enemy or they misdoubt at any rate his sympathy with themselves

Mostly they feel that they do not deserve his sympathy They cannot rest in the Lord and they cannot

find rest outside of him Hence they remain in perpetual disturbance and unrest Strangely in contrast with

mans unquiet is Gods immovable calm and unruffled tranquility The Lord said I will take my rest

(Isa_184) None can really resist his will and hence he has no need to trouble himself if resistance is

attempted The fierceness of man will always turn to his praise Time is no object with him who is

above time whose goings have been from the days of eternity (Mic_52) In silence and calm he

accomplishes his everlasting purposes Himself at rest in the still depths of his unchangeable nature it is

he alone who can give his creatures rest As they grow mere like to him they will grow more and more

tranquil until the time comes when they will enter finally into that rest which remaineth for his people

(Heb_49)

11 PULPIT ldquoHomage of Ethiopia to Jehovah

I AGITATION IN ETHIOPIA The oracle opens with a scene full of life Hosts of Egyptian and Ethiopian

warriors are seen like buzzing swarms of flies moving to and fro Messengers are speeding in papyrus

boats to announce the approach of the Assyrians The Ethiopians are described as a nation tall and

polished terrible strong and all-subduing whose land rivers cut through A sense of mystery and

greatness hung about this and from the earliest timesmdashthe land of the source of the Nile opened up by

our countryman Spoke and others The prophet lifts up his voice to this people A signal will be seen on

the mountains the blast of a trumpet will be heard There will be symptoms of the Divine presence

restraining overruling the wrath of men for ends of Divine wisdom When wars are carried on every one

sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the beginning and end of them to chance

On the other hand Isaiah shows that all these things ought to be ascribed to God because he will display

his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he works so as to conceal his hand and to

prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he displays his hand in it in such a manner

that all men are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the prophet meant (Calvin)

II THE WAITING OF JEHOVAH Impressive is the contrast between the noise and stir and agitation

below and the calmness above Jehovah will be stillmdashas the blue sky behind a moving host of clouds

above a surging sea below In the second psalm we have the picture of him sitting in the heavens and

laughing at the vain attempts of the enemies of the Messianic kingdom There are three thoughts here

1 The repose of God It seems as if we must ever contemplate him resting from his toils of designing and

creating and providingmdashentered on an eternal sabbath The consciousness of vast force sleeping held

in reserve we must conceive of in God Hence his stillness amidst our excitement At times when vague

movements are passing through the bosom of society many voices rend the air with opposing cries deep

questions agitate the heart and conscience of thoughtful men We long to hear the one infallible voice to

see the signal extended and yet God speaks not a word Perhaps it may be said a still small voice

saying Be still and know that I am God may be heard by acuter spiritual ears His stillness must be the

effect of infinite strength and profoundest confidence

2 His contemplativeness He looks on in his mansion Not as the Epicureans represented the gods of

the heathen sitting apart reckless of the weal or woe of men but intently watchful of the development of

things the ripening of good the gathering up of evil towards the day of sifting and judgment In a powerful

biblical image his eyes are in every place beholding the good and the evil And our thought to be in

harmony with his must in many matters and at many times fall into the mood of contemplation Instead of

seeking to theorize rashly upon the strange mixture of tendencies life at any troubled epoch presents it

were well to possess our souls in patiencemdashto look on and let both grow together till the harvest

3 His waiting attitude While there is clear heat in sunshine while there are clouds of dew in harvest-

heat he is waiting till the fruit of Assyrian annoyance is all but ripe The heat and the clouds of dew

hasten the powers in nature there are corresponding forces at work in the moral world seen by him to be

working towards certain results God can wait because he knows And may not we in a measure

compose our souls into that attitude of waiting Some things we too know about many others we can

say God knows and so leave them Especially so in times or in moods of alarm In the present case

men below see one picture of the future quite another is seen by God above To them a vast black cloud

is gathering over the horizon he sees the sun that will presently smite it asunder They see a fell harvest

of woe for themselves ripening he has the pruning-knife in his hand with which he will make havoc

among the growth They see an immense host of irresistible warriors he the birds of prey and the beasts

that will soon be feeding upon their remains Let us think of the immense reserves of force at the disposal

of Jehovah The statesman in times of alarm assures a trembling country that the resources of

civilization are not yet exhausted yet they have their limit Behind them lie the absolutely inexhaustible

resources of the living and eternal God Let our hearts be stayed on him and all will be well

III THE EFFECT ON ETHIOPIA They will bring a tribute to Jehovah Sabaoth to the Lord of hosts in his

seat on Mount Zion It is he who has done these things We find the like impressive picture passing

before a prophetic eye in Psa_6832 Kingdoms of splendor come out of Egypt Ethiopia stretches out

her hands to God The gathering of so glorious a people into the true Church is to be the result of the

manifestation of the power of Israels God

LESSONS

1 The providence of God over the Church He shows that he takes care of the Church and that though

he determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their powers In order therefore to excite them to patience

he not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation (Calvin)

2 The indestructibility of the spiritual life This must not be confounded with the institutions in which it

dwells for a time But understanding the Church in the spiritual or mystical sense it cannot perish

Calvin wrote in his day The Church is not far from despair being plundered scattered and everywhere

crushed and trodden underfoot What must be done in straits so numerous and so distressing We ought

to lay hold on these promises so as to believe that God will still preserve the Church The body may be

torn shivered into fragments and scattered still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will

never allow the remembrance and calling on his Name to perish

3 The self-concealment of God The trial of faith in all ages Oh that he would show his face bare his

arm disclose his majesty exert his power appear as Judge to end once for all the strifes of the world

But we must learn to say Gods in his heaven alls right with the world At the proper season he will

come forth If he instantly cut the wicked down and took them away like a sprouting blade of corn his

power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so fully ascertained as when he permits

them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may afterwards fall by their own weight or

like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-knives

4 The unity of religion the prophetic ideal Mount Zion was its ancient symbol for us it is not Rome nor

any other city or mountmdashit is the human heart with all its pathos its faith hope and love its regenerate

life and aspirations it is one spirit universal in mankindmdashJ

12 PULPIT ldquoThe patience of power

The most striking and distinctive truth this chapter contains is that of the patience of Divine power which

permits evil to rise and to mature and which at the right moment effectually intervenes But there are

other points beside this they aremdash

I THE MISDIRECTION OF HUMAN INTELLIGENCE Whatever may be the right translation and the true

application of these verses it is clear that reference is made to a warlike peoplemdasha people terrible to

their neighbors a people of command or treading underfoot aggressive and victorious It shows how

far we have fallen from our first estate and from the condition for which we were created that it does not

strike us as strange that this should be the description of a people that the number of nations whom it

characterizes is so great that we fail to identify the nation which is in the prophets vision Under sin it has

become common not to say natural that a nation should be terrible should be treading down or

crushing and full of commands to its neighbors But to how much better purpose might the strong

peoples of the earth devote their strength God has made rich provision for the peaceable and fruitful

exercise of our largest powers There are rivers and seas (Isa_182) for travelling exploration commerce

there is vegetation (bulrushes papyrus) which may be made to carry mens bodies or which by the

exercise of human ingenuity may be made to convey their thoughts to distant lands and remotest times

there is land and there are seeds there is sunshine and there is dew which can be made to produce

golden harvests that will satisfy mans wants and minister to his most refined tastes (Isa_184 Isa_185)

there are birds and beasts (Isa_186) with whose habits men may become intelligently familiar there is

wealth beneath the soil in precious metals which can not only be raised and collected to enrich the

homes of men but which can be conveyed as the tribute of piety to the house of the Lord (Isa_187)

But despising and neglecting such materials and such ambitions as these nations have aspired to rule

over othersmdashhave perfected themselves in all the arts and enginery of war have congratulated

themselves on nothing so much as in being terrible to those on the other side the river or across the

mountain range

II THE COMPLETENESS OF MANS OVERTHROW IN THE DAY OF DIVINE ANGER The destruction

threatened (Isa_185 Isa_186) probably refers to that of the army of Sennacherib but if the reference be

to some other national calamity it certainly points to an overthrow signal and fearful from which the

imagination turns away oppressed So has it been found both by individual men and nations that when

God arises to judgment their feeble defenses are scattered to the winds and their doom is utterly

irreversible by anything they can do to mend it (see Psa_21-12 6317-20 Psa_926 Psa_929)

III THE LESSON OF GODS JUDGMENTS The result in this case is seen in the bringing of a tribute to

the Lord (Isa_187) If God puts forth his power in overwhelming retribution it is chiefly if not wholly that

they who witness it (men or nations) may repent of their own misdeeds or impiety and may return unto

the Lord in penitence in prayer in consecration for the most acceptable present that can be brought

unto the Lord of hosts is the humbled believing obedient heart

IV THE PATIENCE OF DIVINE POWER (Isa_184) The Lord said I will fake my rest [I will be calm or

still] I will consider in my dwelling-place [I will look on from my habitation] like a clear heat upon herbs

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest God will not be provoked into hurried and impatient judgments

he will retain a Divine composure he will manifest the patience which belongs to conscious power the

heavens should be as still as on the calmest summer day while evil was working to its bitter end while sin

was advancing to its doom Here is a contrast to us and here are lessons for us We in our finite

feebleness are often impatient in spirit and hurried in action We are afraid that if we do not strike at

once we shall not have time to strike at all or that our resources of retribution will fall or that our

adversary will be out of our reach God can entertain no such fear and be affected by no such thought

1 All time is at his command

2 All resources are in his hands

3 The men (nations) whom he may find it needful to chastise can never be beyond the reach of his

power

Hence his calmness in place of our confusion his patience in contrast with our feverish restlessness

(1) Let not the wicked presume on Divine disregard God will put forth his hand in punishment at his own

chosen time

(2) Let not the righteous be surprised or disheartened by his delay he does not count time by our

chronometry he has not the reasons for haste which urge us to immediate action the hour of his merciful

intervention will arrive in timemdashC

2 which sends envoys by sea

in papyrus boats over the water

Go swift messengers

to a people tall and smooth-skinned

to a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by rivers

1BARNES ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors - That is ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send messengers What was the design of their thus sending ambassadors does not appear The prophet simply intimates the fact a fact by which they were well known It may have been for purposes of commerce or to seek protection Bochart renders the word translated lsquoambassadorsrsquo by ldquoimagesrdquo and supposes that it denotes an image of the god Osiris made of the papyrus but there

does not seem to be any reason for this opinion The word ציר tsıyr may mean an idol or image

as in Isa_4516 Psa_4915 But it usually denotes ambassadors or messengers Jos_94 Pro_2513 Pro_1317 Isa_579 Jer_4914 Oba_11

By the sea - What ldquoseardquo is here meant cannot be accurately determined The word lsquosearsquo (ים ya

m) is applied to various collections of water and may be used in reference to a sea a lake a

pond and even a large river It is often applied to the Mediterranean and where the phrase ldquoGreat Seardquo occurs it denotes that Num_346-7 Deu_1124 It is applied to the Lake of Gennesareth or the Sea of Galilee Num_3411 to the Salt Sea Gen_143 to the Red Sea often (Exo_1310 Num_1425 Num_214 Num_3310 ldquoet alrdquo) It is also applied to ldquoa large riverrdquo as ldquoe g the Nilerdquo Isa_195 Neh_38 and to the Euphrates Jer_5136 So far as this ldquowordrdquo is concerned therefore it may denote either the Mediterranean the Red Sea the Nile or the Euphrates If the country spoken of is Upper Egypt or Nubia then we are naturally led to suppose that the prophet refers either to the Nile or the Red Sea

Even in vessels of bulrushes - The word rendered lsquobulrushesrsquo (גמא gome) is derived from

the verb גמא gama ldquoto swallow sip drinkrdquo and is given to a reed or bulrush from its ldquoimbibingrdquo

water It is usually applied in the Scriptures to the Egyptian ldquopapyrusrdquo - a plant which grew on the banks of the Nile and from which we have derived our word ldquopaperrdquo lsquoThis plantrsquo says Taylor (ldquoHeb Conrdquo) lsquogrew in moist places near the Nile and was four or five yards in height Under the bark it consisted wholly of thin skins which being separated and spread out were applied to various uses Of these they made boxes and chests and even boats smearing them over with pitchrsquo These laminoe or skins also served the purpose of paper and were used instead of parchment or plates of lead and copper for writing on This plant the Cyperus Papyrus of modern botanists mostly grew in Lower Egypt in marshy land or in shallow brooks and ponds formed by the inundation of the Nile lsquoThe papyrusrsquo says Pliny lsquogrows in the marsh lands of Egypt or in the stagnant pools left inland by the Nile after it has returned to its bed which have not more than two cubits in depth

The root of the plant is the thickness of a manrsquos arm it has a triangular stalk growing not higher than ten cubits (fifteen feet) and decreasing in breadth toward the summit which is crowned with a thyrsus containing no seeds and of no use except to deck the statues of the gods They employ the roots as firewood and for making various utensils They even construct small boats of the plant and out of the rind sails mats clothes bedding ropes they eat it either crude or cooked swallowing only the juice and when they manufacture paper from it they divide the stem by means of a kind of needle into thin plates or laminae each of which is as large as the plant will admit All the paper is woven upon a table and is continually moistened with Nile water which being thick and slimy furnishes an effectual species of glue In the first place they form upon a table pefectly horizontal a layer the whole length of the papyrus which is crossed by another placed transversely and afterward enclosed within a press

The different sheets are then hung in a situation exposed to the sun in order to dry and the process is finally completed by joining them together beginning with the best There are seldom more than twenty slips or stripes produced from one stem of the plantrsquo (Pliny xiii 11 12) Wilkinson remarks that lsquothe mode of making papyri was this the interior of the stalks of the plant after the rind had been removed was cut into thin slices in the direction of their length and these being laid on a flat board in succession similar slices were placed over them at right angles and their surfaces being cemented together by a sort of glue and subjected to the proper deuce of pressure and well dried the papyrus was completedrsquo (ldquoAncient Egyptiansrdquo vol iii p 148) The word used here is translated lsquobulrushesrsquo in Exo_23 where the little ark is described in which Moses was laid near the Nile the lsquorushrsquo in Job_811 and lsquorushesrsquo in Isa_357

It does not elsewhere occur That the ancients were in the practice of making light boats or vessels from the papyrus is well known Thus Theophrastus (in the ldquoHistory of Plantsrdquo iv 9)

says that lsquothe papyrus is useful for many things for from this they make vesselsrsquo or ships (πλοeα

ploia) Thus Pliny (xiii 11 22) says ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt - lsquofrom the papyrus

they weave vesselsrsquo Again (vi 56 57) lsquoEven nowrsquo says he lsquoin the Britannic Ocean useful vessels are made of bark on the Nile from the papyrus and from reeds and rushesrsquo Plutarch describes Isis going in search of the body of Osiris lsquothrough the fenny country in a bark made of the

papyrus (fνβαριδιπαπυοινη en baridi papnoine) where it is supposed that persons using boats of

this description (fνπαπυρινοιςhκαφεσιπλωοντας en papurinois okaphisi pleontas) are never attacked by crocodiles out of respect to the goddessrsquo (De Isa_181-7) Moses also it will be remembered was exposed on the banks of the Nile in a similar boat or ark lsquoShe took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it With slime and with pitch and put the child thereinrsquo Exo_23

The same word occurs here (גמא gome) which is used by Isaiah and this fact shows that such boats were known as early as the time of Moses Lucan also mentions boats made of the papyrus at Memphis

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro - Phar iv 136

At Memphis boats are woven together from the marshy papyrus

The sculptures of Thebes Memphis and other places abundantly show that they were employed as punts or canoes for fishing in all parts of Egypt during the inundation of the Nilersquo (Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians vol iii p 186) In our own country also it will be remembered the natives were accustomed to make canoes or vessels of the bark of the birch with which they

often adventured on even dangerous navigation The circumstance here mentioned of the גמא go

me (the papyrus) seems to fix the scene of this prophecy to the region of the Nile This reed

grew nowhere else and it is natural therefore to suppose that some nation living near the Nile is intended Taylor the editor of Calmet has shown that the inhabitants of the upper regions of the Nile were accustomed to form floats of hollow earthen vessels and to weave them together with rushes and thus to convey them to Lower Egypt to market He supposes that by lsquovessels of bulrushesrsquo or rush floats are meant such vessels (For a description of the ldquofloatsrdquo made in Upper Egypt with ldquojarsrdquo see Pocockersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo vol i p 84 Ed London 1743) lsquoI first saw in this voyage (on the Nile) the large floats of earthen-ware they are about thirty feet wide and sixty feet long being a frame of palm boughs tied together about four feet deep on which they put a layer of large jars with the mouths uppermost on these they make another floor and then put on another layer of jars and so a third which last are so disposed as to trim the float and leave room for the men to go between The float lies across the river one end being lower down than the other toward the lower end on each side they have four long poles with which they row and direct the boat as well as forward the motion downrsquo Mr Bruce in his ldquoTravelsrdquo mentions vessels made of the papyrus in Abyssinia

Upon the waters - The waters of the Nile or the Red Sea

Saying - This word is not in the Hebrew and the introduction of it by the translators gives a peculiar and probably an incorrect sense to the whole passage As it stands here it would seem to be the language of the inhabitants of the land who sent the ambassadors usually saying to their messengers to go to a distant nation and this introduces an inquiry into the characteristics of the nation to ldquowhomrdquo the ambassadors are sent as if it were a ldquodifferentrdquo people from those who are mentioned in Isa_171 But probably the words which follow are to be regarded as the words of the prophet or of God Isa_174 giving commandment to those messengers to ldquoreturnrdquo to those who sent them and deliver the message which follows lsquoYou send messengers to distant nations in reed boats upon the rivers Return says God to the land which sent you foth and

announce to them the will of God Go rapidly in your light vessels and bear this message for it shall speedily be executed and I will sit calmly and see it donersquo Isa_174-6 A remarkably similar passage which throws great light on this occurs in Eze_309 lsquoIn that day shall messengers go forth from me (God) in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it comethrsquo

Go ye swift messengers - Hebrew lsquoLight messengersrsquo This is evidently addressed to the boats Achilles Tatius says that they were frequently so light and small that they would carry but one person (Rosenmuller)

To a nation - What nation this was is not known The ldquoobviousrdquo import of the passge is that it was some nation to whom they were ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send ambassadors and that it is here added merely as ldquodescriptiverdquo of the people Two or three characterstics of the nation are mentioned from which we may better learn what people are referred to

Scattered - (ממשך memushak) This word is derived from משך mashak ldquoto seize take hold fastrdquo to draw out extend or prolong to make double or strong to spread out The Septuagint

renders it kθνοςmicroετέωρον Ethnos meteoron - lsquoA lofty nationrsquo Chaldee lsquoA people suffering violencersquo Syraic lsquoA nation distortedrsquo Vulgate lsquoA people convulsed and laceratedrsquo It ldquomayrdquo denote a people ldquospread outrdquo over a great extent of country or a people ldquodrawn out in lengthrdquo - that is extended over a country of considerable length but of comparatively narrow breadth as Egypt is so Vitringa understands it Or it may mean a people ldquostrong valiantrdquo so Gesenius understands it This best suits the connection as being a people lsquoterrible hithertorsquo Perhaps all these ideas may be united by the supposition that the nation was drawn out or extended over a large region and was ldquothereforerdquo a powerful or mighty people The idea of its being ldquoscatteredrdquo is not in the text Taylor renders it lsquoA people of short stature contracted in height that is dwarfsrsquo But the idea in the text is not one that is descriptive of ldquoindividualsrdquo but of the ldquocollectedrdquo nation the people

And peeled - (מרט moratʖ from מרט maratʖ) to make smooth or sharpen as a swordrdquo Ezek

2114-32 then to make smooth the head of any one to pluck off his hair Ezr_93 Neh_1325

Isa_506) The Septuagint renders it Ξένονλαpνκαχαλεπόν Cenon laon kai chalepon - lsquoA foreign and wicked peoplersquo Vulgate lsquoTo a people laceratedrsquo The Syriac renders the whole verse lsquoGo swift messengers to a people perverse and torn to a people whose strength has been long since taken away a people defiled and trodden down whose land the rivers have spoiledrsquo The word used here is capable of two significations

(1) It may denote a people who are shaved or made smooth by removing the hair from the body It is known to have been the custom with the Egyptians to make their bodies smooth by shaving off the hair as Herodotus testifies (xi 37) Or

(2) It may be translated as Gesenius proposes a people valiant fierce bold from the sense which the verb has ldquoto sharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115-16

The former is the most obvious interpretation and agrees best with the proper meaning of the Hebrew word the latter would perhaps better suit the connection The editor of Calmer supposes that it is to be taken in the sense of ldquodiminished small dwarfishrdquo and would apply it to the ldquopigmiesrdquo of Upper Egypt

To a people terrible - That is warlike fierce cruel Hebrew lsquoA people fearedrsquo If the Egyptians are meant it may refer to the fact that they had always been an object of terror and alarm to the Israelites from their early oppressions there before their deliverance under Moses

From their beginning hitherto - Hebrew lsquoFrom this time and formerlyrsquo It has been their general character that they were a fierce harsh oppressive nation Gesenius however renders this lsquoTo the formidable nation (and) further beyondrsquo and supposes that two nations are referred

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

Which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia the principal of which were Astaboras and Astapus (f) and also Nile itself which came out of Ethiopia into Egypt or which is on this side of the rivers of Ethiopia (g) and so may intend Egypt which bordered on this side of it towards Judea or which is beside the rivers of Ethiopia (h) and so may denote Ethiopia itself situated by these rivers The Targum renders it the rivers of Judea Some would have it that the rivers of Arabia Chusaea are meant which lay between Judea and Egypt as Besor Rhinocorura Trajan and Corys and Arabia seems rather to be meant by Cush than Ethiopia in Africa since that lay beyond the rivers of Egypt rather than Egypt beyond the rivers of Ethiopia

4 HENRY ldquoInterpreters are very much at a loss where to find this land that lies beyond the

rivers of Cush Some take it to be Egypt a maritime country and full of rivers and which

courted Israel to depend upon them but proved broken reeds but against this it is strongly

objected that the next chapter is distinguished from this by the title of the burden of Egypt

Others take it to be Ethiopia and read it which lies near or about the rivers of Ethiopia not

that in Africa which lay south of Egypt but that which we call Arabia which lay east of Canaan

which Tirhakah was now king of He thought to protect the Jews as it were under the shadow

of his wings by giving a powerful diversion to the king of Assyria when he made a descent upon

his country at the time that he was attacking Jerusalem 2Ki_199 But though by his

ambassadors he bade defiance to the king of Assyria and encouraged the Jews to depend upon

him God by the prophet slights him and will not go forth with him he may take his own course

but God will take another course to protect Jerusalem while he suffers the attempt of Tirhakah

to miscarry and his Arabian army to be ruined for the Assyrian army shall become a present or

sacrifice to the Lord of hosts and to the place of his name by the hand of an angel not by the

hand of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia Isa_187 This is a very probable exposition of this chapter

But from a hint of Dr Lightfoots in his Harmony of the Old Testament I incline to understand

this chapter as a prophecy against Assyria and so a continuation of the prophecy in the last

three verses of the foregoing chapter with which therefore this should be joined That was

against the army of the Assyrians which rushed in upon Judah this is against the land of Assyria

itself which lay beyond the rivers of Arabia that is the rivers Euphrates and Tigris which

bordered on Arabia Deserta And in calling it the land shadowing with wings he seems to refer

to what he himself had said of it (Isa_88) that the stretching out of his wings shall fill the

breadth of thy land O Immanuel The prophet might perhaps describe the Assyrians by such

dark expressions not naming them for the same reason that St Paul in his prophecy speaks of

the Roman empire by a periphrasis He who now letteth 2Th_27 Here is

5 JAMISON ldquo

Isa_181-7 Isaiah announces the overthrow of Sennacheribrsquos hosts and desires the Ethiopian ambassadors now in Jerusalem to bring word of it to their own nation and he calls on the whole world to witness the event (Isa_183) As Isa_1712-14 announced the presence of the foe so Isa_181-7 foretells his overthrow

Woe mdash The heading in English Version ldquoGod will destroy the Ethiopiansrdquo is a mistake arising from the wrong rendering ldquoWoerdquo whereas the Hebrew does not express a threat but is an appeal calling attention (Isa_551 Zec_26) ldquoHordquo He is not speaking against but to the Ethiopians calling on them to hear his prophetical announcement as to the destruction of their enemies

shadowing with wings mdash rather ldquoland of the winged barkrdquo that is ldquobarks with wing-like sails answering to vessels of bulrushesrdquo in Isa_182 the word ldquoriversrdquo in the parallelism also favors it so the Septuagint and Chaldee [Ewald] ldquoLand of the clanging sound of wingsrdquo that is armies as in Isa_88 the rendering ldquobarkrdquo or ldquoshiprdquo is rather dubious [Maurer] The armies referred to are those of Tirhakah advancing to meet the Assyrians (Isa_379) In English Version ldquoshadowingrdquo means protecting - stretching out its wings to defend a feeble people namely the Hebrews [Vitringa] The Hebrew for ldquowingsrdquo is the same as for the idol Cneph which was represented in temple sculptures with wings (Psa_914)

beyond mdash Meroe the island between the ldquoriversrdquo 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 ldquoTirhakahrdquo in the inscriptions This island region was probably the chief part of Queen Candacersquos kingdom (Act_827) For ldquobeyondrdquo others translate less literally ldquowhich borderest onrdquo

Ethiopia mdash literally ldquoCushrdquo Horsley is probably right that the ultimate and fullest reference of the prophecy is to the restoration of the Jews in the Holy Land through the instrumentality of some distant people skilled in navigation (Isa_182 Isa_609 Isa_6010 Psa_4515 Psa_6831 Zep_310) Phoenician voyagers coasting along would speak of all Western remote lands as ldquobeyondrdquo the Nilersquos mouths ldquoCushrdquo 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 (Gen_213)

6 KampD 1-3 ldquoThe prophecy commences with hoi which never signifies heus but always vae

(woe) Here however it differs from Isa_1712 and is an expression of compassion (cf Isa_551 Zec_210) rather than of anger for the fact that the mighty Ethiopia is oppressed by the still mightier Asshur is a humiliation which Jehovah has prepared for the former Isa_181 Isa_182 ldquoWoe to the land of the whirring of wings which is beyond the rivers of Cush that sends ambassadors into the sea and in boats of papyrus over the face of the watersrdquo The land

of Cush commences according to Eze_2910 (cf Isa_306) where Upper Egypt ends The Seve

neh (Aswan) mentioned by Ezekiel is the boundary-point at which the Nile enters Mizraim

proper and which is still a depot for goods coming from the south down the Nile The nahare-

Cush (rivers of Cush) are chiefly those that surround the Cushite Seba (Gen_107) This is the

name given to the present Sennacircr the Meroitic island which is enclosed between the White and Blue Nile (the Astapos of Ptolemy or the present Bahr el-Abyad and the Astaboras of Ptolemy or the present Bahr el-Azrak) According to the latest researches more especially those of Speke the White Nile which takes its rise in the Lake of Nyanza is the chief source of the Nile

The latter and the Blue Nile whose confluence (makran) with it takes place in lat 15deg 25acute are

fed by many larger or smaller tributary streams (as well as mountain torrents) the Blue Nile

even more than the Nile proper And this abundance of water in the land to the south of Seveneh and still farther south beyond Seba (or Meroeuml) might very well have been known to the prophet as a general fact The land ldquobeyond the rivers of Cushrdquo is the land bounded by the sources of the Nile ie (including Ethiopia itself in the stricter sense of the word) the south land under Ethiopian rule that lay still deeper in the heart of the country the land of its African auxiliary tribes whose names (which probably include the later Nubians and Abyssinians) as given in 2Ch_123 Nah_39 Eze_305 Jer_469 suppose a minuteness of information which has not yet been attained by modern research To this Ethiopia which is designated by its farthest limits (compare Zep_310 where Wolff in his book of Judith erroneously supposes Media to be

intended as the Asiatic Cush) the prophets give the strange name of eretz tziltzal cenap This has been interpreted as meaning ldquothe land of the wings of an army with clashing armsrdquo by Gesenius

and others but cenaphaim does not occur in this sense like agappim in Ezekiel Others render it

ldquothe land of the noise of wavesrdquo (Umbreit) but cenaphaim cannot be used of waters except in

such a connection as Isa_88 Moreover tziltzal is not a fitting onomatopoetic word either for

the clashing of arms or the noise of waves Others again render it ldquothe land of the double shadowrdquo (Grotius Vitringa Knobel and others) but however appropriate this epithet might be to Ethiopia as a tropical land it is very hazardous to take the word in a sense which is not sustained by the usage of the language and the same objection may be brought against Luzzattos ldquoland of the far-shadowing defencerdquo Shelling has also suggested another objection - namely that the shadow thrown even in tropical lands is not a double one falling northwards and southwards at the same time and therefore that it cannot be figuratively described as

double-winged Tziltzal cenaphaim is the buzzing of the wings of insects with which Egypt and

Ethiopia swarmed on account of the climate and the abundance of water צלצל constr צלצל tinnitus stridor a primary meaning from which the other three meanings of the word-cymbal harpoon (a whirring dart) and grasshopper

(Note Schroumlring supposes tziltzal to be the scarabaeus sacer (Linn) but it would be much

more natural if any particular animal is intended to think of the tzaltzalya as it is called in

the language of the Gallas the tzetze in the Betschuana language the most dreaded diptera

of the interior of Africa a species of glossina which attacks all the larger mammalia (though not men) Vid Hartmann Naturgeschichtlich-medic Skizze der Nillaumlnder Abth i p 205)

- are derived In Isa_718 the forces of Egypt are called ldquothe fly from the end of the rivers of Egyptrdquo Here Egypt and Ethiopia are called the land of the whirring of wings inasmuch as the prophet had in his mind under the designation of swarms of insects the motley swarms of different people included in this great kingdom that were so fabulously strange to an Asiatic Within this great kingdom messengers were now passing to and fro upon its great waters in

boats of papyrus (on gome Copt ‛gome Talm gami see at Job_811) Greek βαρίδεςπαπύριναι (β

αρίς from the Egyptian bari bali a barque) In such vessels as these and with Egyptian tackle they went as far as the remote island of Taprobane The boats were made to clap together

(pilcatiles) so as to be carried past the cataracts (Parthey on Plutarch de Iside pp 198-9) And it

is to these messengers in their paper boats that the appeal of the prophet is addressed

He sends them home and what they are to say to their own people is generalized into an announcement to the whole earth ldquoGo swift messengers to the people stretched out and polished to the terrible people far away on the other side to the nation of command upon

command and treading down whose land rivers cut through All ye possessors of the globe and inhabitants of the earth when a banner rises on the mountains look ye and when they blow the trumpets hearkenrdquo We learn from what follows to what it is that the attention of Ethiopia and all the nations of the earth is directed it is the destruction of Asshur by Jehovah They are to attend when they observe the two signals the banner and the trumpet-blast these are decisive moments Because Jehovah was about to deliver the world from the conquering might of Assyria against which the Ethiopian kingdom was now summoning all the means of self-defence the prophet sends the messengers home Their own people to which he sends them

home are elaborately described They are memusshak stretched out ie very tall (lxx Kθνοςmicroετέ

ωρον) just as the Sabaeans are said to have been in Isa_4514 They are also morat = memorat (Ges sect52 Anm 6) smoothed politus ie either not disfigured by an ugly growth of hair or else without any reference to depilation but rather with reference to the bronze colour of their skin smooth and shining with healthy freshness The description which Herodotus gives of the

Ethiopians microέγιστοικακάλλιστοιQνθρώπωνπάντων (iii 20) quite answers to these first two predicates They are still further described with reference to the wide extent of their kingdom

which reached to the remotest south as ldquothe terrible nation הSאמן־הו והל rdquo ie from this point

where the prophet meets with the messengers farther and farther off (compare 1Sa_2021-22 but not 1Sa_189 where the expression has a chronological meaning which would be less

suitable here where everything is so pictorial and which is also to be rejected because אמן־הו

cannot be equivalent to הוא cf Nah_29) We may see from Isa_2810 Isa_2813 what ka מאשר

v (kaZv with connecting accusatives and before makkeph) a measuring or levelling line signifies

when used by the prophet with the reduplication which he employs here it is a people of ldquocommand upon commandrdquo - that is to say a commanding nation (according to Ewald

Knobel and others kav is equivalent to the Arabic kuwe strength a nation of double or gigantic

strength) ldquoA people of treading downrdquo (sc of others mebusah is a second genitive to goi) ie one which subdues and tramples down wherever it appears These are all distinctive predicates - a nation of imposing grandeur a ruling and conquering nation The last predicate extols its

fertile land זא we take not in the sense of diripere or as equivalent to bazaz like מ^ס to melt

equivalent to masas but in the sense of findere ie as equivalent to בזע like מא_ to sip = מע_ For it is no praise to say that a land is scoured out or washed away by rivers Boumlttcher who is wrong in describing this chapter as ldquoperhaps the most difficult in the whole of the Old

Testamentrdquo very aptly compares with it the expression used by Herodotus (ii 108) κατετmicroήθηb

Αdγυπτος But why this strange elaboration instead of the simple name There is a divine irony in

the fact that a nation so great and glorious and (though not without reason considering its natural gifts) so full of self-consciousness should be thrown into such violent agitation in the prospect of the danger that threatened it and should be making such strenuous exertions to avert that danger when Jehovah the God of Israel was about to destroy the threatening power itself in a night and consequently all the care and trouble of Ethiopia were utterly needless

7 BI ldquoThe Ethiopians

The people here peculiarly described are the Ethiopians and the prophet prophesies the effect on Ethiopia of the judgment concerning Assyria which Jehovah executes as Drechsler has

convincingly proved and as is now universally recognised (F Delitzsch)

Ethiopia

What land is it of which the prophet speaks It is no doubt Ethiopia itself a great kingdom in the olden time For although he says ldquobeyond the rivers of Ethiopiardquo that is the Blue Nile and the White Nile and the Astaboras the meaning is perhaps more accurately ldquobesiderdquo those rivers In any event the ancient land of Ethiopia reached out to the south far beyond the confluence of those rivers in the mighty Nile including probably all upper Egypt beyond Philae Nubia and the northern portion of modern Abyssinia It was a fertile country very rich in gold ivory ebony frankincense and precious stones A country thickly inhabited by a stalwart well-formed race ldquomen of staturerdquo the prophet calls them who if they were black were yet comely It was a mighty kingdom for many centuries a rival of Egypt sometimes its enemy and apparently even its conqueror a kingdom able to make war against the Assyrians and a kingdom too carrying on a great trade by means of abundant merchandise with many people (A Ritchie)

ldquoThe land shadowing with wingsrdquo

1 Full of poetic suggestion is the expression ldquoshadowing with wingsrdquo The thought is of tender protection as the mother bird hovers over and shields her young The Psalmist is never tired of crying out to God ldquoHide me under the covering of Thy wingsrdquo It was right that Israel and Judah should cry thus to Jehovah for protection but not that they should look to the shadowing wings of Ethiopia Just as it was pathetically true that in later times our Lord should say of the Holy City ldquoO Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thy children together even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would notrdquomdashso seven hundred years earlier it was true that Judah would not seek refuge under the wings of the Lord but under the shadowing of Egypt and the covering of Ethiopia

2 In the Revised Version we have the passage rendered ldquoAh the land of the rustling of wingsrdquo Some of the old commentators find in this an allusion to the multitude of bees and the swarms of flies in Ethiopia so that there the hum of wings was never absent More picturesque is another suggestion that the reference is to the ever plashing waters of the rivers hurrying along with swift current in rapids and through cataracts until the broad bosom of father Nile was reached The swish and lapping of the rushing waters seemed to the poet like the noise made by the swift flight of many birds beating the air with strong pinions as they sweep on towards the horizon

3 If we turn to the Septuagint the Greek Old Testament we read the text thus ldquoWoe to you ye wings of the land of shipsrdquo What are the wings of the land of ships but the many sails whereby those ships flit hither and thither One sees before him a new picture The graceful dahabiehs with their long yards and triangular sails dotting the water everywhere and naturally suggesting great sea birds with outspread wings shining in the starlight white and ghostly on the calm surface of the mysterious river which is Egyptrsquos life

4 Some of the more acute Hebrew scholars point out that it is possible to understand the prophetrsquos language in yet another way ldquoWoe to the land where the shadow falleth both waysrdquo that is of course near the Equator where sometimes the shadows stretch out to the south and sometimes to the north according to the time of the year If we understand our text so it is natural to see in it an allusion to the fickleness of the Ethiopians a nation which

Judah vainly trusted in since today it would be found an ally and tomorrow an enemy (A Ritchie)

The prophetrsquos charge to the Ethiopian ambassadors

Ethiopia (Hebrews ldquoCushrdquo) corresponds generally to the modern Soudan (ie the blacks) Egypt and Ethiopia were at this time ruled by Tirkakah (704-685) His ambassadors are in Jerusalem offering an alliance against the Assyrian and the prophet sends them back to their people with the words ldquoGo ye swift messengersrdquo etc Jehovah needs no help against His enemies (A BDavidson LL D)

Note

Full stop at ldquowatersrdquo (Isa_182) and omit ldquosayingrdquo The prophet speaks ldquoGo ye swift messengers to a nation tall and smooth a nation all-powerful and subduing whose land rivers divide (intersect)rdquo ldquoSmoothrdquo may refer to the glancing bronzed skin of the people (A BDavidson LL D)

Vessels of bulrushes

It is well known that timber proper for building ships was very scarce in Egypt to supply this deficiency the Egyptians used bulrushes or a reed called papyrus of which they made vessels fit for sailing Ships and boats built of this sort of materials being extremely light and drawing very little water were admirably suited to traverse the Nile along the banks of which there were doubtless many morasses and shoals They were also very convenient and easy to be managed at the waterfalls where they might be carried with no great difficulty to smooth water From such circumstances as these we may conclude that they would sail exceeding fast and afford a very speedy conveyance of all kinds of intelligence from one part of the country to another and from Egypt to neighbouring nations In them therefore ambassadors or messengers were often sent to different places with various kinds of information after having received their orders in terms such as these ldquoGo ye swift messengersrdquo (R Macculloch)

They were made for folding together so that they could be carried past the cataracts (F Delitzsch D D)

8 PULPIT ldquoTHE HOMAGE OF ETHIOPIA TO JEHOVAH Amid the general excitement caused by the

advance of Assyria Ethiopia also is stirred and stirred to its furthest limits The king sends messengers in

beats upon the canals and rivers to summon his troops to his standard (Isa_181 Isa_182) The earth

stands agaze to see the result of the approaching collision (Isa_183) but God rests calmly in heaven

while events are ripening (Isa_184 Isa_185) When the time comes he will strike the blowmdashAssyria will

be given to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field (Isa_186) Then Ethiopia will make an act of

homage to Jehovah by the sending of a present to Jerusalem (Isa_187) The time seems to be that

immediately preceding the great invasion of Sennacherib when Shabatok the Ethiopian was King of

Egypt and Tirhakah (Tahark) either Crown Prince under him or more probably Lord Paramount of Egypt

over him and reigning at Napata

Isa_181

Woe to the land rather Ho for the land (comp Isa_1712) Shadowing with wings literally either the

land of the shadow of wings or the land of the noise of wings most probably the latter Allusion is thought

to be made to the swarms of buzzing flies especially the tsetse with which Ethiopia abounds At the

same time these swarms are perhaps intended to be taken as emblems of the hosts of warriors which

Ethiopia can send forth (comp Isa_718) Beyond the rivers of Ethiopia The prophet cannot be

supposed to have had more than a vague knowledge of African geography He seems however robe

aware that Ethiopia is a land of many rivers (see Bakers Nile Tributaries) and he assumes that the

dominion of the Ethiopian kings extends even beyond these rivers to the south of them His object is as

Mr Cheyne says to emphasize the greatness of Ethiopia It may be questioned however whether the

dominion of the Ethiopian kings of the time extended so far as he supposed The seat of their power was

Napata now Gebel Berkal in the great bend of the Nile between lat 18deg and 19deg N and its southern limit

was probably Khar-toum and the line of the Blue Nile

9 CALVIN ldquo1Woe to the land I cannot determine with certainty what is the nation of which Isaiah

speaks though he shews plainly that it bordered on Ethiopia Some consider it to refer to the whole of

Egypt but this is a mistake for in the next chapter he treats of Egypt separately from which it is evident

that the people here meant were distinct from the Egyptians Some think that the Troglodytes are here

meant which does not appear to me to be probable for they had no intercourse with other nations

because their language as geographers tell us was hissing and not speech (12) but those who are

mentioned evidently had intercourse and leagues with other nations

Still it is uncertain whether they leagued against the Jews or joined with the Egyptians in driving out the

Assyrians If they were avowed enemies to the Jews Isaiah threatens punishment but if they deceived

them by false promises he shews that nothing is to be expected from them because by idle messages

they will only protract the time However that may be from the neighboring nations to be mentioned in the

next chapter we may in part ascertain where they were situated that is not far from Egypt and Ethiopia

yet some may be disposed to view it as a description of that part of Ethiopia which lay on the sea-coast

for we shall afterwards see that the Assyrians were at war with the king of the Ethiopians (Isa_379)

When he says that that land shadows with wings we learn from it that its sea was well supplied with

harbours so that it had many vessels sailing to it and was wealthy for small and poor states could not

maintain intercourse or traffic with foreign countries He therefore means that they performed many

voyages

(12) ldquo Ethiopian Troglodytesrdquo says Herodotus ldquo the swiftest of foot of all men of whom we have received

any accounts The Troglodytes feed on serpents and lizards and reptiles of that sort and the language

which they have adopted has no resemblance to any other but they screech like bats mdash Herod 4183

FT270 ldquo vessels of bulrushesrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT271 ldquo and peeled or outspread and polishedrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT272 ldquo nation meted out and trodden downrdquo Heb ldquo nation of line and line and treading under footrdquo mdash

Eng Ver

FT273 ldquo nation meted out by line that is utterly subdued Heb Put under line and line to decide what part

of them should be destroyed and what saved by the conquerors In this manner David is described

(2Sa_82) as having dealt with the children of Moab See Lam_28 Such a nation might well deserve to

be calleddrawn out and pilled that is drawn through the fingers (or an instrument) like a willow in order to

be peeled and made fit for wicker workrdquo mdash Stock

FT274 ldquoVidebitisrdquo ldquoVous le verrezrdquo

FT275 ldquo yerdquo ldquo yerdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT276 ldquo I will consider in my dwelling-placerdquo mdash Eng Ver ldquo will rest and look round in my dwelling-placerdquo

mdash Stock

FT277 ldquo a clear heat upon herbsrdquo or ldquo rainrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT278 Like the clear heat at the coming of daylight The resting of Jehovah hovering over the enemy till

they are ripe for destruction is here beautifully compared to the condensed gloom before daylight which

is wont to usher in a hot summerrsquo day and to the sheet of dew that appears to hang over the ground in

harvest time presently after sunset עלי (ălē) is here used for near the time of as we say against such a

time אור עלי (ălēō) prope lucem adventante luce mdash Stock

FT279 Rosenmuuml takes notice of another reading supported by the Septuagint Syriac and Vulgate ביום

the heat of harvestrdquo but justly ldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר בהם at the time of harvestrdquo instead ofldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר

remarks that it makes no difference to the meaning mdash Ed

FT280 ldquo is their dead bodiesrdquo mdash Jarchi

FT281 ldquo quit the metaphor the flourishing leaders of a people devoted by Jehovah to destruction shall be

cut off and trampled on The people here spoken of are the Assyrians under Sennacheribrdquo mdash Stock

10 PULPIT ldquoThe contrast of Divine calm with human bustle hurry and excitement

When men take a matter in hand wherein they feel an interest and set themselves either to carry out a

certain design of their own or to frustrate the designs of others nothing is more remarkable than the

fuss that they make about it Heaven and earth are moved so to speak for the accomplishment of the

desired end the entire nation is excited stirred thrilled to its lowest depths a universal eagerness

prevails all is noise clamor haste bustle tumult whirl confusion Assyrias noise is compared

(Isa_1712) to the roar of the sea and the rushing of mighty waters Ethiopias stir is like the sound of

many wings (Isa_181) Even Cyrus though he has a Divine mission cannot set about it without the

noise of a multitude in the mountains like as of a great people a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of

nations gathered together (Isa_134) It is in vain that men are told to stand still and see the salvation of

God (Exo_1413) or admonished that in quietness and confidence should be their strength

(Isa_3015) they cannot bring themselves to act on the advice tendered Great minds indeed are

comparatively quiet and tranquil but even they are liable upon occasion to be swept away by the

prevailing wave of excited feeling and dragged as it were from their moorings into a turbid ocean And

the mass of mankind is wholly without calm or stability It trembles flutters rushes hither and thither

mistakes activity for energy and fussiness for the power of achievement This condition of things results

from three weaknesses in man

1 His want of patience

2 His want of confidence in himself

3 His want of confidence in God

I MANS WANT OF PATIENCE Man desires to obtain whatever end he sets himself at once The boy is

impatient to be grown up the subaltern would at once be a general the clerk a partner the student a

professor of his science Men make haste to be rich (Pro_2820) and overshoot the mark and fall hack

into poverty They strive to become world-famous when they are mere tyros and put fetch ambitions

writings which only show their ignorance They fail to recognize the force of the proverb that everything

comes to those who wait To toil long to persevere to make a small advance day after daymdashthis seems

to them a poor thing an unsatisfactory mode of procedure They would reach the end per saltum by a

bound Hence their haste Too often most haste is worst speed Vaulting ambition cloth oer leap itself

and falls on the other side

II MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IN HIMSELF He who is sure of himself can afford to wait He knows

that he will succeed in the end what matters whether a little sooner or a little later But the bulk of men

are not sure of themselves they misdoubt their powers capacities perseverance steadiness reserve

fund of energy Hence their spasmodic efforts hurried movements violent agitations frantic rushings

hither and thither If they do not gain their end at once they despair of ever attaining it They are

conscious of infinite weakness in themselves and feel that they cannot tell what a day may bring forth in

the way of defeat and disappointment They say that it is necessary to strike while the iron is hot but their

real reason for haste is that they question whether their ability to strike will not have passed away if they

delay ever so little

III MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IS GOD He who feels that God is on his side has no need to

disquiet himself He will not fear the powers of darkness he will not be afraid of what flesh can do unto

him But comparatively few men have this feeling Either they put the thoughts of God altogether away

from them or they view him as an enemy or they misdoubt at any rate his sympathy with themselves

Mostly they feel that they do not deserve his sympathy They cannot rest in the Lord and they cannot

find rest outside of him Hence they remain in perpetual disturbance and unrest Strangely in contrast with

mans unquiet is Gods immovable calm and unruffled tranquility The Lord said I will take my rest

(Isa_184) None can really resist his will and hence he has no need to trouble himself if resistance is

attempted The fierceness of man will always turn to his praise Time is no object with him who is

above time whose goings have been from the days of eternity (Mic_52) In silence and calm he

accomplishes his everlasting purposes Himself at rest in the still depths of his unchangeable nature it is

he alone who can give his creatures rest As they grow mere like to him they will grow more and more

tranquil until the time comes when they will enter finally into that rest which remaineth for his people

(Heb_49)

11 PULPIT ldquoHomage of Ethiopia to Jehovah

I AGITATION IN ETHIOPIA The oracle opens with a scene full of life Hosts of Egyptian and Ethiopian

warriors are seen like buzzing swarms of flies moving to and fro Messengers are speeding in papyrus

boats to announce the approach of the Assyrians The Ethiopians are described as a nation tall and

polished terrible strong and all-subduing whose land rivers cut through A sense of mystery and

greatness hung about this and from the earliest timesmdashthe land of the source of the Nile opened up by

our countryman Spoke and others The prophet lifts up his voice to this people A signal will be seen on

the mountains the blast of a trumpet will be heard There will be symptoms of the Divine presence

restraining overruling the wrath of men for ends of Divine wisdom When wars are carried on every one

sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the beginning and end of them to chance

On the other hand Isaiah shows that all these things ought to be ascribed to God because he will display

his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he works so as to conceal his hand and to

prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he displays his hand in it in such a manner

that all men are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the prophet meant (Calvin)

II THE WAITING OF JEHOVAH Impressive is the contrast between the noise and stir and agitation

below and the calmness above Jehovah will be stillmdashas the blue sky behind a moving host of clouds

above a surging sea below In the second psalm we have the picture of him sitting in the heavens and

laughing at the vain attempts of the enemies of the Messianic kingdom There are three thoughts here

1 The repose of God It seems as if we must ever contemplate him resting from his toils of designing and

creating and providingmdashentered on an eternal sabbath The consciousness of vast force sleeping held

in reserve we must conceive of in God Hence his stillness amidst our excitement At times when vague

movements are passing through the bosom of society many voices rend the air with opposing cries deep

questions agitate the heart and conscience of thoughtful men We long to hear the one infallible voice to

see the signal extended and yet God speaks not a word Perhaps it may be said a still small voice

saying Be still and know that I am God may be heard by acuter spiritual ears His stillness must be the

effect of infinite strength and profoundest confidence

2 His contemplativeness He looks on in his mansion Not as the Epicureans represented the gods of

the heathen sitting apart reckless of the weal or woe of men but intently watchful of the development of

things the ripening of good the gathering up of evil towards the day of sifting and judgment In a powerful

biblical image his eyes are in every place beholding the good and the evil And our thought to be in

harmony with his must in many matters and at many times fall into the mood of contemplation Instead of

seeking to theorize rashly upon the strange mixture of tendencies life at any troubled epoch presents it

were well to possess our souls in patiencemdashto look on and let both grow together till the harvest

3 His waiting attitude While there is clear heat in sunshine while there are clouds of dew in harvest-

heat he is waiting till the fruit of Assyrian annoyance is all but ripe The heat and the clouds of dew

hasten the powers in nature there are corresponding forces at work in the moral world seen by him to be

working towards certain results God can wait because he knows And may not we in a measure

compose our souls into that attitude of waiting Some things we too know about many others we can

say God knows and so leave them Especially so in times or in moods of alarm In the present case

men below see one picture of the future quite another is seen by God above To them a vast black cloud

is gathering over the horizon he sees the sun that will presently smite it asunder They see a fell harvest

of woe for themselves ripening he has the pruning-knife in his hand with which he will make havoc

among the growth They see an immense host of irresistible warriors he the birds of prey and the beasts

that will soon be feeding upon their remains Let us think of the immense reserves of force at the disposal

of Jehovah The statesman in times of alarm assures a trembling country that the resources of

civilization are not yet exhausted yet they have their limit Behind them lie the absolutely inexhaustible

resources of the living and eternal God Let our hearts be stayed on him and all will be well

III THE EFFECT ON ETHIOPIA They will bring a tribute to Jehovah Sabaoth to the Lord of hosts in his

seat on Mount Zion It is he who has done these things We find the like impressive picture passing

before a prophetic eye in Psa_6832 Kingdoms of splendor come out of Egypt Ethiopia stretches out

her hands to God The gathering of so glorious a people into the true Church is to be the result of the

manifestation of the power of Israels God

LESSONS

1 The providence of God over the Church He shows that he takes care of the Church and that though

he determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their powers In order therefore to excite them to patience

he not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation (Calvin)

2 The indestructibility of the spiritual life This must not be confounded with the institutions in which it

dwells for a time But understanding the Church in the spiritual or mystical sense it cannot perish

Calvin wrote in his day The Church is not far from despair being plundered scattered and everywhere

crushed and trodden underfoot What must be done in straits so numerous and so distressing We ought

to lay hold on these promises so as to believe that God will still preserve the Church The body may be

torn shivered into fragments and scattered still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will

never allow the remembrance and calling on his Name to perish

3 The self-concealment of God The trial of faith in all ages Oh that he would show his face bare his

arm disclose his majesty exert his power appear as Judge to end once for all the strifes of the world

But we must learn to say Gods in his heaven alls right with the world At the proper season he will

come forth If he instantly cut the wicked down and took them away like a sprouting blade of corn his

power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so fully ascertained as when he permits

them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may afterwards fall by their own weight or

like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-knives

4 The unity of religion the prophetic ideal Mount Zion was its ancient symbol for us it is not Rome nor

any other city or mountmdashit is the human heart with all its pathos its faith hope and love its regenerate

life and aspirations it is one spirit universal in mankindmdashJ

12 PULPIT ldquoThe patience of power

The most striking and distinctive truth this chapter contains is that of the patience of Divine power which

permits evil to rise and to mature and which at the right moment effectually intervenes But there are

other points beside this they aremdash

I THE MISDIRECTION OF HUMAN INTELLIGENCE Whatever may be the right translation and the true

application of these verses it is clear that reference is made to a warlike peoplemdasha people terrible to

their neighbors a people of command or treading underfoot aggressive and victorious It shows how

far we have fallen from our first estate and from the condition for which we were created that it does not

strike us as strange that this should be the description of a people that the number of nations whom it

characterizes is so great that we fail to identify the nation which is in the prophets vision Under sin it has

become common not to say natural that a nation should be terrible should be treading down or

crushing and full of commands to its neighbors But to how much better purpose might the strong

peoples of the earth devote their strength God has made rich provision for the peaceable and fruitful

exercise of our largest powers There are rivers and seas (Isa_182) for travelling exploration commerce

there is vegetation (bulrushes papyrus) which may be made to carry mens bodies or which by the

exercise of human ingenuity may be made to convey their thoughts to distant lands and remotest times

there is land and there are seeds there is sunshine and there is dew which can be made to produce

golden harvests that will satisfy mans wants and minister to his most refined tastes (Isa_184 Isa_185)

there are birds and beasts (Isa_186) with whose habits men may become intelligently familiar there is

wealth beneath the soil in precious metals which can not only be raised and collected to enrich the

homes of men but which can be conveyed as the tribute of piety to the house of the Lord (Isa_187)

But despising and neglecting such materials and such ambitions as these nations have aspired to rule

over othersmdashhave perfected themselves in all the arts and enginery of war have congratulated

themselves on nothing so much as in being terrible to those on the other side the river or across the

mountain range

II THE COMPLETENESS OF MANS OVERTHROW IN THE DAY OF DIVINE ANGER The destruction

threatened (Isa_185 Isa_186) probably refers to that of the army of Sennacherib but if the reference be

to some other national calamity it certainly points to an overthrow signal and fearful from which the

imagination turns away oppressed So has it been found both by individual men and nations that when

God arises to judgment their feeble defenses are scattered to the winds and their doom is utterly

irreversible by anything they can do to mend it (see Psa_21-12 6317-20 Psa_926 Psa_929)

III THE LESSON OF GODS JUDGMENTS The result in this case is seen in the bringing of a tribute to

the Lord (Isa_187) If God puts forth his power in overwhelming retribution it is chiefly if not wholly that

they who witness it (men or nations) may repent of their own misdeeds or impiety and may return unto

the Lord in penitence in prayer in consecration for the most acceptable present that can be brought

unto the Lord of hosts is the humbled believing obedient heart

IV THE PATIENCE OF DIVINE POWER (Isa_184) The Lord said I will fake my rest [I will be calm or

still] I will consider in my dwelling-place [I will look on from my habitation] like a clear heat upon herbs

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest God will not be provoked into hurried and impatient judgments

he will retain a Divine composure he will manifest the patience which belongs to conscious power the

heavens should be as still as on the calmest summer day while evil was working to its bitter end while sin

was advancing to its doom Here is a contrast to us and here are lessons for us We in our finite

feebleness are often impatient in spirit and hurried in action We are afraid that if we do not strike at

once we shall not have time to strike at all or that our resources of retribution will fall or that our

adversary will be out of our reach God can entertain no such fear and be affected by no such thought

1 All time is at his command

2 All resources are in his hands

3 The men (nations) whom he may find it needful to chastise can never be beyond the reach of his

power

Hence his calmness in place of our confusion his patience in contrast with our feverish restlessness

(1) Let not the wicked presume on Divine disregard God will put forth his hand in punishment at his own

chosen time

(2) Let not the righteous be surprised or disheartened by his delay he does not count time by our

chronometry he has not the reasons for haste which urge us to immediate action the hour of his merciful

intervention will arrive in timemdashC

2 which sends envoys by sea

in papyrus boats over the water

Go swift messengers

to a people tall and smooth-skinned

to a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by rivers

1BARNES ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors - That is ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send messengers What was the design of their thus sending ambassadors does not appear The prophet simply intimates the fact a fact by which they were well known It may have been for purposes of commerce or to seek protection Bochart renders the word translated lsquoambassadorsrsquo by ldquoimagesrdquo and supposes that it denotes an image of the god Osiris made of the papyrus but there

does not seem to be any reason for this opinion The word ציר tsıyr may mean an idol or image

as in Isa_4516 Psa_4915 But it usually denotes ambassadors or messengers Jos_94 Pro_2513 Pro_1317 Isa_579 Jer_4914 Oba_11

By the sea - What ldquoseardquo is here meant cannot be accurately determined The word lsquosearsquo (ים ya

m) is applied to various collections of water and may be used in reference to a sea a lake a

pond and even a large river It is often applied to the Mediterranean and where the phrase ldquoGreat Seardquo occurs it denotes that Num_346-7 Deu_1124 It is applied to the Lake of Gennesareth or the Sea of Galilee Num_3411 to the Salt Sea Gen_143 to the Red Sea often (Exo_1310 Num_1425 Num_214 Num_3310 ldquoet alrdquo) It is also applied to ldquoa large riverrdquo as ldquoe g the Nilerdquo Isa_195 Neh_38 and to the Euphrates Jer_5136 So far as this ldquowordrdquo is concerned therefore it may denote either the Mediterranean the Red Sea the Nile or the Euphrates If the country spoken of is Upper Egypt or Nubia then we are naturally led to suppose that the prophet refers either to the Nile or the Red Sea

Even in vessels of bulrushes - The word rendered lsquobulrushesrsquo (גמא gome) is derived from

the verb גמא gama ldquoto swallow sip drinkrdquo and is given to a reed or bulrush from its ldquoimbibingrdquo

water It is usually applied in the Scriptures to the Egyptian ldquopapyrusrdquo - a plant which grew on the banks of the Nile and from which we have derived our word ldquopaperrdquo lsquoThis plantrsquo says Taylor (ldquoHeb Conrdquo) lsquogrew in moist places near the Nile and was four or five yards in height Under the bark it consisted wholly of thin skins which being separated and spread out were applied to various uses Of these they made boxes and chests and even boats smearing them over with pitchrsquo These laminoe or skins also served the purpose of paper and were used instead of parchment or plates of lead and copper for writing on This plant the Cyperus Papyrus of modern botanists mostly grew in Lower Egypt in marshy land or in shallow brooks and ponds formed by the inundation of the Nile lsquoThe papyrusrsquo says Pliny lsquogrows in the marsh lands of Egypt or in the stagnant pools left inland by the Nile after it has returned to its bed which have not more than two cubits in depth

The root of the plant is the thickness of a manrsquos arm it has a triangular stalk growing not higher than ten cubits (fifteen feet) and decreasing in breadth toward the summit which is crowned with a thyrsus containing no seeds and of no use except to deck the statues of the gods They employ the roots as firewood and for making various utensils They even construct small boats of the plant and out of the rind sails mats clothes bedding ropes they eat it either crude or cooked swallowing only the juice and when they manufacture paper from it they divide the stem by means of a kind of needle into thin plates or laminae each of which is as large as the plant will admit All the paper is woven upon a table and is continually moistened with Nile water which being thick and slimy furnishes an effectual species of glue In the first place they form upon a table pefectly horizontal a layer the whole length of the papyrus which is crossed by another placed transversely and afterward enclosed within a press

The different sheets are then hung in a situation exposed to the sun in order to dry and the process is finally completed by joining them together beginning with the best There are seldom more than twenty slips or stripes produced from one stem of the plantrsquo (Pliny xiii 11 12) Wilkinson remarks that lsquothe mode of making papyri was this the interior of the stalks of the plant after the rind had been removed was cut into thin slices in the direction of their length and these being laid on a flat board in succession similar slices were placed over them at right angles and their surfaces being cemented together by a sort of glue and subjected to the proper deuce of pressure and well dried the papyrus was completedrsquo (ldquoAncient Egyptiansrdquo vol iii p 148) The word used here is translated lsquobulrushesrsquo in Exo_23 where the little ark is described in which Moses was laid near the Nile the lsquorushrsquo in Job_811 and lsquorushesrsquo in Isa_357

It does not elsewhere occur That the ancients were in the practice of making light boats or vessels from the papyrus is well known Thus Theophrastus (in the ldquoHistory of Plantsrdquo iv 9)

says that lsquothe papyrus is useful for many things for from this they make vesselsrsquo or ships (πλοeα

ploia) Thus Pliny (xiii 11 22) says ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt - lsquofrom the papyrus

they weave vesselsrsquo Again (vi 56 57) lsquoEven nowrsquo says he lsquoin the Britannic Ocean useful vessels are made of bark on the Nile from the papyrus and from reeds and rushesrsquo Plutarch describes Isis going in search of the body of Osiris lsquothrough the fenny country in a bark made of the

papyrus (fνβαριδιπαπυοινη en baridi papnoine) where it is supposed that persons using boats of

this description (fνπαπυρινοιςhκαφεσιπλωοντας en papurinois okaphisi pleontas) are never attacked by crocodiles out of respect to the goddessrsquo (De Isa_181-7) Moses also it will be remembered was exposed on the banks of the Nile in a similar boat or ark lsquoShe took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it With slime and with pitch and put the child thereinrsquo Exo_23

The same word occurs here (גמא gome) which is used by Isaiah and this fact shows that such boats were known as early as the time of Moses Lucan also mentions boats made of the papyrus at Memphis

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro - Phar iv 136

At Memphis boats are woven together from the marshy papyrus

The sculptures of Thebes Memphis and other places abundantly show that they were employed as punts or canoes for fishing in all parts of Egypt during the inundation of the Nilersquo (Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians vol iii p 186) In our own country also it will be remembered the natives were accustomed to make canoes or vessels of the bark of the birch with which they

often adventured on even dangerous navigation The circumstance here mentioned of the גמא go

me (the papyrus) seems to fix the scene of this prophecy to the region of the Nile This reed

grew nowhere else and it is natural therefore to suppose that some nation living near the Nile is intended Taylor the editor of Calmet has shown that the inhabitants of the upper regions of the Nile were accustomed to form floats of hollow earthen vessels and to weave them together with rushes and thus to convey them to Lower Egypt to market He supposes that by lsquovessels of bulrushesrsquo or rush floats are meant such vessels (For a description of the ldquofloatsrdquo made in Upper Egypt with ldquojarsrdquo see Pocockersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo vol i p 84 Ed London 1743) lsquoI first saw in this voyage (on the Nile) the large floats of earthen-ware they are about thirty feet wide and sixty feet long being a frame of palm boughs tied together about four feet deep on which they put a layer of large jars with the mouths uppermost on these they make another floor and then put on another layer of jars and so a third which last are so disposed as to trim the float and leave room for the men to go between The float lies across the river one end being lower down than the other toward the lower end on each side they have four long poles with which they row and direct the boat as well as forward the motion downrsquo Mr Bruce in his ldquoTravelsrdquo mentions vessels made of the papyrus in Abyssinia

Upon the waters - The waters of the Nile or the Red Sea

Saying - This word is not in the Hebrew and the introduction of it by the translators gives a peculiar and probably an incorrect sense to the whole passage As it stands here it would seem to be the language of the inhabitants of the land who sent the ambassadors usually saying to their messengers to go to a distant nation and this introduces an inquiry into the characteristics of the nation to ldquowhomrdquo the ambassadors are sent as if it were a ldquodifferentrdquo people from those who are mentioned in Isa_171 But probably the words which follow are to be regarded as the words of the prophet or of God Isa_174 giving commandment to those messengers to ldquoreturnrdquo to those who sent them and deliver the message which follows lsquoYou send messengers to distant nations in reed boats upon the rivers Return says God to the land which sent you foth and

announce to them the will of God Go rapidly in your light vessels and bear this message for it shall speedily be executed and I will sit calmly and see it donersquo Isa_174-6 A remarkably similar passage which throws great light on this occurs in Eze_309 lsquoIn that day shall messengers go forth from me (God) in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it comethrsquo

Go ye swift messengers - Hebrew lsquoLight messengersrsquo This is evidently addressed to the boats Achilles Tatius says that they were frequently so light and small that they would carry but one person (Rosenmuller)

To a nation - What nation this was is not known The ldquoobviousrdquo import of the passge is that it was some nation to whom they were ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send ambassadors and that it is here added merely as ldquodescriptiverdquo of the people Two or three characterstics of the nation are mentioned from which we may better learn what people are referred to

Scattered - (ממשך memushak) This word is derived from משך mashak ldquoto seize take hold fastrdquo to draw out extend or prolong to make double or strong to spread out The Septuagint

renders it kθνοςmicroετέωρον Ethnos meteoron - lsquoA lofty nationrsquo Chaldee lsquoA people suffering violencersquo Syraic lsquoA nation distortedrsquo Vulgate lsquoA people convulsed and laceratedrsquo It ldquomayrdquo denote a people ldquospread outrdquo over a great extent of country or a people ldquodrawn out in lengthrdquo - that is extended over a country of considerable length but of comparatively narrow breadth as Egypt is so Vitringa understands it Or it may mean a people ldquostrong valiantrdquo so Gesenius understands it This best suits the connection as being a people lsquoterrible hithertorsquo Perhaps all these ideas may be united by the supposition that the nation was drawn out or extended over a large region and was ldquothereforerdquo a powerful or mighty people The idea of its being ldquoscatteredrdquo is not in the text Taylor renders it lsquoA people of short stature contracted in height that is dwarfsrsquo But the idea in the text is not one that is descriptive of ldquoindividualsrdquo but of the ldquocollectedrdquo nation the people

And peeled - (מרט moratʖ from מרט maratʖ) to make smooth or sharpen as a swordrdquo Ezek

2114-32 then to make smooth the head of any one to pluck off his hair Ezr_93 Neh_1325

Isa_506) The Septuagint renders it Ξένονλαpνκαχαλεπόν Cenon laon kai chalepon - lsquoA foreign and wicked peoplersquo Vulgate lsquoTo a people laceratedrsquo The Syriac renders the whole verse lsquoGo swift messengers to a people perverse and torn to a people whose strength has been long since taken away a people defiled and trodden down whose land the rivers have spoiledrsquo The word used here is capable of two significations

(1) It may denote a people who are shaved or made smooth by removing the hair from the body It is known to have been the custom with the Egyptians to make their bodies smooth by shaving off the hair as Herodotus testifies (xi 37) Or

(2) It may be translated as Gesenius proposes a people valiant fierce bold from the sense which the verb has ldquoto sharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115-16

The former is the most obvious interpretation and agrees best with the proper meaning of the Hebrew word the latter would perhaps better suit the connection The editor of Calmer supposes that it is to be taken in the sense of ldquodiminished small dwarfishrdquo and would apply it to the ldquopigmiesrdquo of Upper Egypt

To a people terrible - That is warlike fierce cruel Hebrew lsquoA people fearedrsquo If the Egyptians are meant it may refer to the fact that they had always been an object of terror and alarm to the Israelites from their early oppressions there before their deliverance under Moses

From their beginning hitherto - Hebrew lsquoFrom this time and formerlyrsquo It has been their general character that they were a fierce harsh oppressive nation Gesenius however renders this lsquoTo the formidable nation (and) further beyondrsquo and supposes that two nations are referred

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

Isa_181-7 Isaiah announces the overthrow of Sennacheribrsquos hosts and desires the Ethiopian ambassadors now in Jerusalem to bring word of it to their own nation and he calls on the whole world to witness the event (Isa_183) As Isa_1712-14 announced the presence of the foe so Isa_181-7 foretells his overthrow

Woe mdash The heading in English Version ldquoGod will destroy the Ethiopiansrdquo is a mistake arising from the wrong rendering ldquoWoerdquo whereas the Hebrew does not express a threat but is an appeal calling attention (Isa_551 Zec_26) ldquoHordquo He is not speaking against but to the Ethiopians calling on them to hear his prophetical announcement as to the destruction of their enemies

shadowing with wings mdash rather ldquoland of the winged barkrdquo that is ldquobarks with wing-like sails answering to vessels of bulrushesrdquo in Isa_182 the word ldquoriversrdquo in the parallelism also favors it so the Septuagint and Chaldee [Ewald] ldquoLand of the clanging sound of wingsrdquo that is armies as in Isa_88 the rendering ldquobarkrdquo or ldquoshiprdquo is rather dubious [Maurer] The armies referred to are those of Tirhakah advancing to meet the Assyrians (Isa_379) In English Version ldquoshadowingrdquo means protecting - stretching out its wings to defend a feeble people namely the Hebrews [Vitringa] The Hebrew for ldquowingsrdquo is the same as for the idol Cneph which was represented in temple sculptures with wings (Psa_914)

beyond mdash Meroe the island between the ldquoriversrdquo 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 ldquoTirhakahrdquo in the inscriptions This island region was probably the chief part of Queen Candacersquos kingdom (Act_827) For ldquobeyondrdquo others translate less literally ldquowhich borderest onrdquo

Ethiopia mdash literally ldquoCushrdquo Horsley is probably right that the ultimate and fullest reference of the prophecy is to the restoration of the Jews in the Holy Land through the instrumentality of some distant people skilled in navigation (Isa_182 Isa_609 Isa_6010 Psa_4515 Psa_6831 Zep_310) Phoenician voyagers coasting along would speak of all Western remote lands as ldquobeyondrdquo the Nilersquos mouths ldquoCushrdquo 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 (Gen_213)

6 KampD 1-3 ldquoThe prophecy commences with hoi which never signifies heus but always vae

(woe) Here however it differs from Isa_1712 and is an expression of compassion (cf Isa_551 Zec_210) rather than of anger for the fact that the mighty Ethiopia is oppressed by the still mightier Asshur is a humiliation which Jehovah has prepared for the former Isa_181 Isa_182 ldquoWoe to the land of the whirring of wings which is beyond the rivers of Cush that sends ambassadors into the sea and in boats of papyrus over the face of the watersrdquo The land

of Cush commences according to Eze_2910 (cf Isa_306) where Upper Egypt ends The Seve

neh (Aswan) mentioned by Ezekiel is the boundary-point at which the Nile enters Mizraim

proper and which is still a depot for goods coming from the south down the Nile The nahare-

Cush (rivers of Cush) are chiefly those that surround the Cushite Seba (Gen_107) This is the

name given to the present Sennacircr the Meroitic island which is enclosed between the White and Blue Nile (the Astapos of Ptolemy or the present Bahr el-Abyad and the Astaboras of Ptolemy or the present Bahr el-Azrak) According to the latest researches more especially those of Speke the White Nile which takes its rise in the Lake of Nyanza is the chief source of the Nile

The latter and the Blue Nile whose confluence (makran) with it takes place in lat 15deg 25acute are

fed by many larger or smaller tributary streams (as well as mountain torrents) the Blue Nile

even more than the Nile proper And this abundance of water in the land to the south of Seveneh and still farther south beyond Seba (or Meroeuml) might very well have been known to the prophet as a general fact The land ldquobeyond the rivers of Cushrdquo is the land bounded by the sources of the Nile ie (including Ethiopia itself in the stricter sense of the word) the south land under Ethiopian rule that lay still deeper in the heart of the country the land of its African auxiliary tribes whose names (which probably include the later Nubians and Abyssinians) as given in 2Ch_123 Nah_39 Eze_305 Jer_469 suppose a minuteness of information which has not yet been attained by modern research To this Ethiopia which is designated by its farthest limits (compare Zep_310 where Wolff in his book of Judith erroneously supposes Media to be

intended as the Asiatic Cush) the prophets give the strange name of eretz tziltzal cenap This has been interpreted as meaning ldquothe land of the wings of an army with clashing armsrdquo by Gesenius

and others but cenaphaim does not occur in this sense like agappim in Ezekiel Others render it

ldquothe land of the noise of wavesrdquo (Umbreit) but cenaphaim cannot be used of waters except in

such a connection as Isa_88 Moreover tziltzal is not a fitting onomatopoetic word either for

the clashing of arms or the noise of waves Others again render it ldquothe land of the double shadowrdquo (Grotius Vitringa Knobel and others) but however appropriate this epithet might be to Ethiopia as a tropical land it is very hazardous to take the word in a sense which is not sustained by the usage of the language and the same objection may be brought against Luzzattos ldquoland of the far-shadowing defencerdquo Shelling has also suggested another objection - namely that the shadow thrown even in tropical lands is not a double one falling northwards and southwards at the same time and therefore that it cannot be figuratively described as

double-winged Tziltzal cenaphaim is the buzzing of the wings of insects with which Egypt and

Ethiopia swarmed on account of the climate and the abundance of water צלצל constr צלצל tinnitus stridor a primary meaning from which the other three meanings of the word-cymbal harpoon (a whirring dart) and grasshopper

(Note Schroumlring supposes tziltzal to be the scarabaeus sacer (Linn) but it would be much

more natural if any particular animal is intended to think of the tzaltzalya as it is called in

the language of the Gallas the tzetze in the Betschuana language the most dreaded diptera

of the interior of Africa a species of glossina which attacks all the larger mammalia (though not men) Vid Hartmann Naturgeschichtlich-medic Skizze der Nillaumlnder Abth i p 205)

- are derived In Isa_718 the forces of Egypt are called ldquothe fly from the end of the rivers of Egyptrdquo Here Egypt and Ethiopia are called the land of the whirring of wings inasmuch as the prophet had in his mind under the designation of swarms of insects the motley swarms of different people included in this great kingdom that were so fabulously strange to an Asiatic Within this great kingdom messengers were now passing to and fro upon its great waters in

boats of papyrus (on gome Copt ‛gome Talm gami see at Job_811) Greek βαρίδεςπαπύριναι (β

αρίς from the Egyptian bari bali a barque) In such vessels as these and with Egyptian tackle they went as far as the remote island of Taprobane The boats were made to clap together

(pilcatiles) so as to be carried past the cataracts (Parthey on Plutarch de Iside pp 198-9) And it

is to these messengers in their paper boats that the appeal of the prophet is addressed

He sends them home and what they are to say to their own people is generalized into an announcement to the whole earth ldquoGo swift messengers to the people stretched out and polished to the terrible people far away on the other side to the nation of command upon

command and treading down whose land rivers cut through All ye possessors of the globe and inhabitants of the earth when a banner rises on the mountains look ye and when they blow the trumpets hearkenrdquo We learn from what follows to what it is that the attention of Ethiopia and all the nations of the earth is directed it is the destruction of Asshur by Jehovah They are to attend when they observe the two signals the banner and the trumpet-blast these are decisive moments Because Jehovah was about to deliver the world from the conquering might of Assyria against which the Ethiopian kingdom was now summoning all the means of self-defence the prophet sends the messengers home Their own people to which he sends them

home are elaborately described They are memusshak stretched out ie very tall (lxx Kθνοςmicroετέ

ωρον) just as the Sabaeans are said to have been in Isa_4514 They are also morat = memorat (Ges sect52 Anm 6) smoothed politus ie either not disfigured by an ugly growth of hair or else without any reference to depilation but rather with reference to the bronze colour of their skin smooth and shining with healthy freshness The description which Herodotus gives of the

Ethiopians microέγιστοικακάλλιστοιQνθρώπωνπάντων (iii 20) quite answers to these first two predicates They are still further described with reference to the wide extent of their kingdom

which reached to the remotest south as ldquothe terrible nation הSאמן־הו והל rdquo ie from this point

where the prophet meets with the messengers farther and farther off (compare 1Sa_2021-22 but not 1Sa_189 where the expression has a chronological meaning which would be less

suitable here where everything is so pictorial and which is also to be rejected because אמן־הו

cannot be equivalent to הוא cf Nah_29) We may see from Isa_2810 Isa_2813 what ka מאשר

v (kaZv with connecting accusatives and before makkeph) a measuring or levelling line signifies

when used by the prophet with the reduplication which he employs here it is a people of ldquocommand upon commandrdquo - that is to say a commanding nation (according to Ewald

Knobel and others kav is equivalent to the Arabic kuwe strength a nation of double or gigantic

strength) ldquoA people of treading downrdquo (sc of others mebusah is a second genitive to goi) ie one which subdues and tramples down wherever it appears These are all distinctive predicates - a nation of imposing grandeur a ruling and conquering nation The last predicate extols its

fertile land זא we take not in the sense of diripere or as equivalent to bazaz like מ^ס to melt

equivalent to masas but in the sense of findere ie as equivalent to בזע like מא_ to sip = מע_ For it is no praise to say that a land is scoured out or washed away by rivers Boumlttcher who is wrong in describing this chapter as ldquoperhaps the most difficult in the whole of the Old

Testamentrdquo very aptly compares with it the expression used by Herodotus (ii 108) κατετmicroήθηb

Αdγυπτος But why this strange elaboration instead of the simple name There is a divine irony in

the fact that a nation so great and glorious and (though not without reason considering its natural gifts) so full of self-consciousness should be thrown into such violent agitation in the prospect of the danger that threatened it and should be making such strenuous exertions to avert that danger when Jehovah the God of Israel was about to destroy the threatening power itself in a night and consequently all the care and trouble of Ethiopia were utterly needless

7 BI ldquoThe Ethiopians

The people here peculiarly described are the Ethiopians and the prophet prophesies the effect on Ethiopia of the judgment concerning Assyria which Jehovah executes as Drechsler has

convincingly proved and as is now universally recognised (F Delitzsch)

Ethiopia

What land is it of which the prophet speaks It is no doubt Ethiopia itself a great kingdom in the olden time For although he says ldquobeyond the rivers of Ethiopiardquo that is the Blue Nile and the White Nile and the Astaboras the meaning is perhaps more accurately ldquobesiderdquo those rivers In any event the ancient land of Ethiopia reached out to the south far beyond the confluence of those rivers in the mighty Nile including probably all upper Egypt beyond Philae Nubia and the northern portion of modern Abyssinia It was a fertile country very rich in gold ivory ebony frankincense and precious stones A country thickly inhabited by a stalwart well-formed race ldquomen of staturerdquo the prophet calls them who if they were black were yet comely It was a mighty kingdom for many centuries a rival of Egypt sometimes its enemy and apparently even its conqueror a kingdom able to make war against the Assyrians and a kingdom too carrying on a great trade by means of abundant merchandise with many people (A Ritchie)

ldquoThe land shadowing with wingsrdquo

1 Full of poetic suggestion is the expression ldquoshadowing with wingsrdquo The thought is of tender protection as the mother bird hovers over and shields her young The Psalmist is never tired of crying out to God ldquoHide me under the covering of Thy wingsrdquo It was right that Israel and Judah should cry thus to Jehovah for protection but not that they should look to the shadowing wings of Ethiopia Just as it was pathetically true that in later times our Lord should say of the Holy City ldquoO Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thy children together even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would notrdquomdashso seven hundred years earlier it was true that Judah would not seek refuge under the wings of the Lord but under the shadowing of Egypt and the covering of Ethiopia

2 In the Revised Version we have the passage rendered ldquoAh the land of the rustling of wingsrdquo Some of the old commentators find in this an allusion to the multitude of bees and the swarms of flies in Ethiopia so that there the hum of wings was never absent More picturesque is another suggestion that the reference is to the ever plashing waters of the rivers hurrying along with swift current in rapids and through cataracts until the broad bosom of father Nile was reached The swish and lapping of the rushing waters seemed to the poet like the noise made by the swift flight of many birds beating the air with strong pinions as they sweep on towards the horizon

3 If we turn to the Septuagint the Greek Old Testament we read the text thus ldquoWoe to you ye wings of the land of shipsrdquo What are the wings of the land of ships but the many sails whereby those ships flit hither and thither One sees before him a new picture The graceful dahabiehs with their long yards and triangular sails dotting the water everywhere and naturally suggesting great sea birds with outspread wings shining in the starlight white and ghostly on the calm surface of the mysterious river which is Egyptrsquos life

4 Some of the more acute Hebrew scholars point out that it is possible to understand the prophetrsquos language in yet another way ldquoWoe to the land where the shadow falleth both waysrdquo that is of course near the Equator where sometimes the shadows stretch out to the south and sometimes to the north according to the time of the year If we understand our text so it is natural to see in it an allusion to the fickleness of the Ethiopians a nation which

Judah vainly trusted in since today it would be found an ally and tomorrow an enemy (A Ritchie)

The prophetrsquos charge to the Ethiopian ambassadors

Ethiopia (Hebrews ldquoCushrdquo) corresponds generally to the modern Soudan (ie the blacks) Egypt and Ethiopia were at this time ruled by Tirkakah (704-685) His ambassadors are in Jerusalem offering an alliance against the Assyrian and the prophet sends them back to their people with the words ldquoGo ye swift messengersrdquo etc Jehovah needs no help against His enemies (A BDavidson LL D)

Note

Full stop at ldquowatersrdquo (Isa_182) and omit ldquosayingrdquo The prophet speaks ldquoGo ye swift messengers to a nation tall and smooth a nation all-powerful and subduing whose land rivers divide (intersect)rdquo ldquoSmoothrdquo may refer to the glancing bronzed skin of the people (A BDavidson LL D)

Vessels of bulrushes

It is well known that timber proper for building ships was very scarce in Egypt to supply this deficiency the Egyptians used bulrushes or a reed called papyrus of which they made vessels fit for sailing Ships and boats built of this sort of materials being extremely light and drawing very little water were admirably suited to traverse the Nile along the banks of which there were doubtless many morasses and shoals They were also very convenient and easy to be managed at the waterfalls where they might be carried with no great difficulty to smooth water From such circumstances as these we may conclude that they would sail exceeding fast and afford a very speedy conveyance of all kinds of intelligence from one part of the country to another and from Egypt to neighbouring nations In them therefore ambassadors or messengers were often sent to different places with various kinds of information after having received their orders in terms such as these ldquoGo ye swift messengersrdquo (R Macculloch)

They were made for folding together so that they could be carried past the cataracts (F Delitzsch D D)

8 PULPIT ldquoTHE HOMAGE OF ETHIOPIA TO JEHOVAH Amid the general excitement caused by the

advance of Assyria Ethiopia also is stirred and stirred to its furthest limits The king sends messengers in

beats upon the canals and rivers to summon his troops to his standard (Isa_181 Isa_182) The earth

stands agaze to see the result of the approaching collision (Isa_183) but God rests calmly in heaven

while events are ripening (Isa_184 Isa_185) When the time comes he will strike the blowmdashAssyria will

be given to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field (Isa_186) Then Ethiopia will make an act of

homage to Jehovah by the sending of a present to Jerusalem (Isa_187) The time seems to be that

immediately preceding the great invasion of Sennacherib when Shabatok the Ethiopian was King of

Egypt and Tirhakah (Tahark) either Crown Prince under him or more probably Lord Paramount of Egypt

over him and reigning at Napata

Isa_181

Woe to the land rather Ho for the land (comp Isa_1712) Shadowing with wings literally either the

land of the shadow of wings or the land of the noise of wings most probably the latter Allusion is thought

to be made to the swarms of buzzing flies especially the tsetse with which Ethiopia abounds At the

same time these swarms are perhaps intended to be taken as emblems of the hosts of warriors which

Ethiopia can send forth (comp Isa_718) Beyond the rivers of Ethiopia The prophet cannot be

supposed to have had more than a vague knowledge of African geography He seems however robe

aware that Ethiopia is a land of many rivers (see Bakers Nile Tributaries) and he assumes that the

dominion of the Ethiopian kings extends even beyond these rivers to the south of them His object is as

Mr Cheyne says to emphasize the greatness of Ethiopia It may be questioned however whether the

dominion of the Ethiopian kings of the time extended so far as he supposed The seat of their power was

Napata now Gebel Berkal in the great bend of the Nile between lat 18deg and 19deg N and its southern limit

was probably Khar-toum and the line of the Blue Nile

9 CALVIN ldquo1Woe to the land I cannot determine with certainty what is the nation of which Isaiah

speaks though he shews plainly that it bordered on Ethiopia Some consider it to refer to the whole of

Egypt but this is a mistake for in the next chapter he treats of Egypt separately from which it is evident

that the people here meant were distinct from the Egyptians Some think that the Troglodytes are here

meant which does not appear to me to be probable for they had no intercourse with other nations

because their language as geographers tell us was hissing and not speech (12) but those who are

mentioned evidently had intercourse and leagues with other nations

Still it is uncertain whether they leagued against the Jews or joined with the Egyptians in driving out the

Assyrians If they were avowed enemies to the Jews Isaiah threatens punishment but if they deceived

them by false promises he shews that nothing is to be expected from them because by idle messages

they will only protract the time However that may be from the neighboring nations to be mentioned in the

next chapter we may in part ascertain where they were situated that is not far from Egypt and Ethiopia

yet some may be disposed to view it as a description of that part of Ethiopia which lay on the sea-coast

for we shall afterwards see that the Assyrians were at war with the king of the Ethiopians (Isa_379)

When he says that that land shadows with wings we learn from it that its sea was well supplied with

harbours so that it had many vessels sailing to it and was wealthy for small and poor states could not

maintain intercourse or traffic with foreign countries He therefore means that they performed many

voyages

(12) ldquo Ethiopian Troglodytesrdquo says Herodotus ldquo the swiftest of foot of all men of whom we have received

any accounts The Troglodytes feed on serpents and lizards and reptiles of that sort and the language

which they have adopted has no resemblance to any other but they screech like bats mdash Herod 4183

FT270 ldquo vessels of bulrushesrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT271 ldquo and peeled or outspread and polishedrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT272 ldquo nation meted out and trodden downrdquo Heb ldquo nation of line and line and treading under footrdquo mdash

Eng Ver

FT273 ldquo nation meted out by line that is utterly subdued Heb Put under line and line to decide what part

of them should be destroyed and what saved by the conquerors In this manner David is described

(2Sa_82) as having dealt with the children of Moab See Lam_28 Such a nation might well deserve to

be calleddrawn out and pilled that is drawn through the fingers (or an instrument) like a willow in order to

be peeled and made fit for wicker workrdquo mdash Stock

FT274 ldquoVidebitisrdquo ldquoVous le verrezrdquo

FT275 ldquo yerdquo ldquo yerdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT276 ldquo I will consider in my dwelling-placerdquo mdash Eng Ver ldquo will rest and look round in my dwelling-placerdquo

mdash Stock

FT277 ldquo a clear heat upon herbsrdquo or ldquo rainrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT278 Like the clear heat at the coming of daylight The resting of Jehovah hovering over the enemy till

they are ripe for destruction is here beautifully compared to the condensed gloom before daylight which

is wont to usher in a hot summerrsquo day and to the sheet of dew that appears to hang over the ground in

harvest time presently after sunset עלי (ălē) is here used for near the time of as we say against such a

time אור עלי (ălēō) prope lucem adventante luce mdash Stock

FT279 Rosenmuuml takes notice of another reading supported by the Septuagint Syriac and Vulgate ביום

the heat of harvestrdquo but justly ldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר בהם at the time of harvestrdquo instead ofldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר

remarks that it makes no difference to the meaning mdash Ed

FT280 ldquo is their dead bodiesrdquo mdash Jarchi

FT281 ldquo quit the metaphor the flourishing leaders of a people devoted by Jehovah to destruction shall be

cut off and trampled on The people here spoken of are the Assyrians under Sennacheribrdquo mdash Stock

10 PULPIT ldquoThe contrast of Divine calm with human bustle hurry and excitement

When men take a matter in hand wherein they feel an interest and set themselves either to carry out a

certain design of their own or to frustrate the designs of others nothing is more remarkable than the

fuss that they make about it Heaven and earth are moved so to speak for the accomplishment of the

desired end the entire nation is excited stirred thrilled to its lowest depths a universal eagerness

prevails all is noise clamor haste bustle tumult whirl confusion Assyrias noise is compared

(Isa_1712) to the roar of the sea and the rushing of mighty waters Ethiopias stir is like the sound of

many wings (Isa_181) Even Cyrus though he has a Divine mission cannot set about it without the

noise of a multitude in the mountains like as of a great people a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of

nations gathered together (Isa_134) It is in vain that men are told to stand still and see the salvation of

God (Exo_1413) or admonished that in quietness and confidence should be their strength

(Isa_3015) they cannot bring themselves to act on the advice tendered Great minds indeed are

comparatively quiet and tranquil but even they are liable upon occasion to be swept away by the

prevailing wave of excited feeling and dragged as it were from their moorings into a turbid ocean And

the mass of mankind is wholly without calm or stability It trembles flutters rushes hither and thither

mistakes activity for energy and fussiness for the power of achievement This condition of things results

from three weaknesses in man

1 His want of patience

2 His want of confidence in himself

3 His want of confidence in God

I MANS WANT OF PATIENCE Man desires to obtain whatever end he sets himself at once The boy is

impatient to be grown up the subaltern would at once be a general the clerk a partner the student a

professor of his science Men make haste to be rich (Pro_2820) and overshoot the mark and fall hack

into poverty They strive to become world-famous when they are mere tyros and put fetch ambitions

writings which only show their ignorance They fail to recognize the force of the proverb that everything

comes to those who wait To toil long to persevere to make a small advance day after daymdashthis seems

to them a poor thing an unsatisfactory mode of procedure They would reach the end per saltum by a

bound Hence their haste Too often most haste is worst speed Vaulting ambition cloth oer leap itself

and falls on the other side

II MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IN HIMSELF He who is sure of himself can afford to wait He knows

that he will succeed in the end what matters whether a little sooner or a little later But the bulk of men

are not sure of themselves they misdoubt their powers capacities perseverance steadiness reserve

fund of energy Hence their spasmodic efforts hurried movements violent agitations frantic rushings

hither and thither If they do not gain their end at once they despair of ever attaining it They are

conscious of infinite weakness in themselves and feel that they cannot tell what a day may bring forth in

the way of defeat and disappointment They say that it is necessary to strike while the iron is hot but their

real reason for haste is that they question whether their ability to strike will not have passed away if they

delay ever so little

III MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IS GOD He who feels that God is on his side has no need to

disquiet himself He will not fear the powers of darkness he will not be afraid of what flesh can do unto

him But comparatively few men have this feeling Either they put the thoughts of God altogether away

from them or they view him as an enemy or they misdoubt at any rate his sympathy with themselves

Mostly they feel that they do not deserve his sympathy They cannot rest in the Lord and they cannot

find rest outside of him Hence they remain in perpetual disturbance and unrest Strangely in contrast with

mans unquiet is Gods immovable calm and unruffled tranquility The Lord said I will take my rest

(Isa_184) None can really resist his will and hence he has no need to trouble himself if resistance is

attempted The fierceness of man will always turn to his praise Time is no object with him who is

above time whose goings have been from the days of eternity (Mic_52) In silence and calm he

accomplishes his everlasting purposes Himself at rest in the still depths of his unchangeable nature it is

he alone who can give his creatures rest As they grow mere like to him they will grow more and more

tranquil until the time comes when they will enter finally into that rest which remaineth for his people

(Heb_49)

11 PULPIT ldquoHomage of Ethiopia to Jehovah

I AGITATION IN ETHIOPIA The oracle opens with a scene full of life Hosts of Egyptian and Ethiopian

warriors are seen like buzzing swarms of flies moving to and fro Messengers are speeding in papyrus

boats to announce the approach of the Assyrians The Ethiopians are described as a nation tall and

polished terrible strong and all-subduing whose land rivers cut through A sense of mystery and

greatness hung about this and from the earliest timesmdashthe land of the source of the Nile opened up by

our countryman Spoke and others The prophet lifts up his voice to this people A signal will be seen on

the mountains the blast of a trumpet will be heard There will be symptoms of the Divine presence

restraining overruling the wrath of men for ends of Divine wisdom When wars are carried on every one

sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the beginning and end of them to chance

On the other hand Isaiah shows that all these things ought to be ascribed to God because he will display

his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he works so as to conceal his hand and to

prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he displays his hand in it in such a manner

that all men are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the prophet meant (Calvin)

II THE WAITING OF JEHOVAH Impressive is the contrast between the noise and stir and agitation

below and the calmness above Jehovah will be stillmdashas the blue sky behind a moving host of clouds

above a surging sea below In the second psalm we have the picture of him sitting in the heavens and

laughing at the vain attempts of the enemies of the Messianic kingdom There are three thoughts here

1 The repose of God It seems as if we must ever contemplate him resting from his toils of designing and

creating and providingmdashentered on an eternal sabbath The consciousness of vast force sleeping held

in reserve we must conceive of in God Hence his stillness amidst our excitement At times when vague

movements are passing through the bosom of society many voices rend the air with opposing cries deep

questions agitate the heart and conscience of thoughtful men We long to hear the one infallible voice to

see the signal extended and yet God speaks not a word Perhaps it may be said a still small voice

saying Be still and know that I am God may be heard by acuter spiritual ears His stillness must be the

effect of infinite strength and profoundest confidence

2 His contemplativeness He looks on in his mansion Not as the Epicureans represented the gods of

the heathen sitting apart reckless of the weal or woe of men but intently watchful of the development of

things the ripening of good the gathering up of evil towards the day of sifting and judgment In a powerful

biblical image his eyes are in every place beholding the good and the evil And our thought to be in

harmony with his must in many matters and at many times fall into the mood of contemplation Instead of

seeking to theorize rashly upon the strange mixture of tendencies life at any troubled epoch presents it

were well to possess our souls in patiencemdashto look on and let both grow together till the harvest

3 His waiting attitude While there is clear heat in sunshine while there are clouds of dew in harvest-

heat he is waiting till the fruit of Assyrian annoyance is all but ripe The heat and the clouds of dew

hasten the powers in nature there are corresponding forces at work in the moral world seen by him to be

working towards certain results God can wait because he knows And may not we in a measure

compose our souls into that attitude of waiting Some things we too know about many others we can

say God knows and so leave them Especially so in times or in moods of alarm In the present case

men below see one picture of the future quite another is seen by God above To them a vast black cloud

is gathering over the horizon he sees the sun that will presently smite it asunder They see a fell harvest

of woe for themselves ripening he has the pruning-knife in his hand with which he will make havoc

among the growth They see an immense host of irresistible warriors he the birds of prey and the beasts

that will soon be feeding upon their remains Let us think of the immense reserves of force at the disposal

of Jehovah The statesman in times of alarm assures a trembling country that the resources of

civilization are not yet exhausted yet they have their limit Behind them lie the absolutely inexhaustible

resources of the living and eternal God Let our hearts be stayed on him and all will be well

III THE EFFECT ON ETHIOPIA They will bring a tribute to Jehovah Sabaoth to the Lord of hosts in his

seat on Mount Zion It is he who has done these things We find the like impressive picture passing

before a prophetic eye in Psa_6832 Kingdoms of splendor come out of Egypt Ethiopia stretches out

her hands to God The gathering of so glorious a people into the true Church is to be the result of the

manifestation of the power of Israels God

LESSONS

1 The providence of God over the Church He shows that he takes care of the Church and that though

he determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their powers In order therefore to excite them to patience

he not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation (Calvin)

2 The indestructibility of the spiritual life This must not be confounded with the institutions in which it

dwells for a time But understanding the Church in the spiritual or mystical sense it cannot perish

Calvin wrote in his day The Church is not far from despair being plundered scattered and everywhere

crushed and trodden underfoot What must be done in straits so numerous and so distressing We ought

to lay hold on these promises so as to believe that God will still preserve the Church The body may be

torn shivered into fragments and scattered still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will

never allow the remembrance and calling on his Name to perish

3 The self-concealment of God The trial of faith in all ages Oh that he would show his face bare his

arm disclose his majesty exert his power appear as Judge to end once for all the strifes of the world

But we must learn to say Gods in his heaven alls right with the world At the proper season he will

come forth If he instantly cut the wicked down and took them away like a sprouting blade of corn his

power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so fully ascertained as when he permits

them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may afterwards fall by their own weight or

like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-knives

4 The unity of religion the prophetic ideal Mount Zion was its ancient symbol for us it is not Rome nor

any other city or mountmdashit is the human heart with all its pathos its faith hope and love its regenerate

life and aspirations it is one spirit universal in mankindmdashJ

12 PULPIT ldquoThe patience of power

The most striking and distinctive truth this chapter contains is that of the patience of Divine power which

permits evil to rise and to mature and which at the right moment effectually intervenes But there are

other points beside this they aremdash

I THE MISDIRECTION OF HUMAN INTELLIGENCE Whatever may be the right translation and the true

application of these verses it is clear that reference is made to a warlike peoplemdasha people terrible to

their neighbors a people of command or treading underfoot aggressive and victorious It shows how

far we have fallen from our first estate and from the condition for which we were created that it does not

strike us as strange that this should be the description of a people that the number of nations whom it

characterizes is so great that we fail to identify the nation which is in the prophets vision Under sin it has

become common not to say natural that a nation should be terrible should be treading down or

crushing and full of commands to its neighbors But to how much better purpose might the strong

peoples of the earth devote their strength God has made rich provision for the peaceable and fruitful

exercise of our largest powers There are rivers and seas (Isa_182) for travelling exploration commerce

there is vegetation (bulrushes papyrus) which may be made to carry mens bodies or which by the

exercise of human ingenuity may be made to convey their thoughts to distant lands and remotest times

there is land and there are seeds there is sunshine and there is dew which can be made to produce

golden harvests that will satisfy mans wants and minister to his most refined tastes (Isa_184 Isa_185)

there are birds and beasts (Isa_186) with whose habits men may become intelligently familiar there is

wealth beneath the soil in precious metals which can not only be raised and collected to enrich the

homes of men but which can be conveyed as the tribute of piety to the house of the Lord (Isa_187)

But despising and neglecting such materials and such ambitions as these nations have aspired to rule

over othersmdashhave perfected themselves in all the arts and enginery of war have congratulated

themselves on nothing so much as in being terrible to those on the other side the river or across the

mountain range

II THE COMPLETENESS OF MANS OVERTHROW IN THE DAY OF DIVINE ANGER The destruction

threatened (Isa_185 Isa_186) probably refers to that of the army of Sennacherib but if the reference be

to some other national calamity it certainly points to an overthrow signal and fearful from which the

imagination turns away oppressed So has it been found both by individual men and nations that when

God arises to judgment their feeble defenses are scattered to the winds and their doom is utterly

irreversible by anything they can do to mend it (see Psa_21-12 6317-20 Psa_926 Psa_929)

III THE LESSON OF GODS JUDGMENTS The result in this case is seen in the bringing of a tribute to

the Lord (Isa_187) If God puts forth his power in overwhelming retribution it is chiefly if not wholly that

they who witness it (men or nations) may repent of their own misdeeds or impiety and may return unto

the Lord in penitence in prayer in consecration for the most acceptable present that can be brought

unto the Lord of hosts is the humbled believing obedient heart

IV THE PATIENCE OF DIVINE POWER (Isa_184) The Lord said I will fake my rest [I will be calm or

still] I will consider in my dwelling-place [I will look on from my habitation] like a clear heat upon herbs

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest God will not be provoked into hurried and impatient judgments

he will retain a Divine composure he will manifest the patience which belongs to conscious power the

heavens should be as still as on the calmest summer day while evil was working to its bitter end while sin

was advancing to its doom Here is a contrast to us and here are lessons for us We in our finite

feebleness are often impatient in spirit and hurried in action We are afraid that if we do not strike at

once we shall not have time to strike at all or that our resources of retribution will fall or that our

adversary will be out of our reach God can entertain no such fear and be affected by no such thought

1 All time is at his command

2 All resources are in his hands

3 The men (nations) whom he may find it needful to chastise can never be beyond the reach of his

power

Hence his calmness in place of our confusion his patience in contrast with our feverish restlessness

(1) Let not the wicked presume on Divine disregard God will put forth his hand in punishment at his own

chosen time

(2) Let not the righteous be surprised or disheartened by his delay he does not count time by our

chronometry he has not the reasons for haste which urge us to immediate action the hour of his merciful

intervention will arrive in timemdashC

2 which sends envoys by sea

in papyrus boats over the water

Go swift messengers

to a people tall and smooth-skinned

to a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by rivers

1BARNES ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors - That is ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send messengers What was the design of their thus sending ambassadors does not appear The prophet simply intimates the fact a fact by which they were well known It may have been for purposes of commerce or to seek protection Bochart renders the word translated lsquoambassadorsrsquo by ldquoimagesrdquo and supposes that it denotes an image of the god Osiris made of the papyrus but there

does not seem to be any reason for this opinion The word ציר tsıyr may mean an idol or image

as in Isa_4516 Psa_4915 But it usually denotes ambassadors or messengers Jos_94 Pro_2513 Pro_1317 Isa_579 Jer_4914 Oba_11

By the sea - What ldquoseardquo is here meant cannot be accurately determined The word lsquosearsquo (ים ya

m) is applied to various collections of water and may be used in reference to a sea a lake a

pond and even a large river It is often applied to the Mediterranean and where the phrase ldquoGreat Seardquo occurs it denotes that Num_346-7 Deu_1124 It is applied to the Lake of Gennesareth or the Sea of Galilee Num_3411 to the Salt Sea Gen_143 to the Red Sea often (Exo_1310 Num_1425 Num_214 Num_3310 ldquoet alrdquo) It is also applied to ldquoa large riverrdquo as ldquoe g the Nilerdquo Isa_195 Neh_38 and to the Euphrates Jer_5136 So far as this ldquowordrdquo is concerned therefore it may denote either the Mediterranean the Red Sea the Nile or the Euphrates If the country spoken of is Upper Egypt or Nubia then we are naturally led to suppose that the prophet refers either to the Nile or the Red Sea

Even in vessels of bulrushes - The word rendered lsquobulrushesrsquo (גמא gome) is derived from

the verb גמא gama ldquoto swallow sip drinkrdquo and is given to a reed or bulrush from its ldquoimbibingrdquo

water It is usually applied in the Scriptures to the Egyptian ldquopapyrusrdquo - a plant which grew on the banks of the Nile and from which we have derived our word ldquopaperrdquo lsquoThis plantrsquo says Taylor (ldquoHeb Conrdquo) lsquogrew in moist places near the Nile and was four or five yards in height Under the bark it consisted wholly of thin skins which being separated and spread out were applied to various uses Of these they made boxes and chests and even boats smearing them over with pitchrsquo These laminoe or skins also served the purpose of paper and were used instead of parchment or plates of lead and copper for writing on This plant the Cyperus Papyrus of modern botanists mostly grew in Lower Egypt in marshy land or in shallow brooks and ponds formed by the inundation of the Nile lsquoThe papyrusrsquo says Pliny lsquogrows in the marsh lands of Egypt or in the stagnant pools left inland by the Nile after it has returned to its bed which have not more than two cubits in depth

The root of the plant is the thickness of a manrsquos arm it has a triangular stalk growing not higher than ten cubits (fifteen feet) and decreasing in breadth toward the summit which is crowned with a thyrsus containing no seeds and of no use except to deck the statues of the gods They employ the roots as firewood and for making various utensils They even construct small boats of the plant and out of the rind sails mats clothes bedding ropes they eat it either crude or cooked swallowing only the juice and when they manufacture paper from it they divide the stem by means of a kind of needle into thin plates or laminae each of which is as large as the plant will admit All the paper is woven upon a table and is continually moistened with Nile water which being thick and slimy furnishes an effectual species of glue In the first place they form upon a table pefectly horizontal a layer the whole length of the papyrus which is crossed by another placed transversely and afterward enclosed within a press

The different sheets are then hung in a situation exposed to the sun in order to dry and the process is finally completed by joining them together beginning with the best There are seldom more than twenty slips or stripes produced from one stem of the plantrsquo (Pliny xiii 11 12) Wilkinson remarks that lsquothe mode of making papyri was this the interior of the stalks of the plant after the rind had been removed was cut into thin slices in the direction of their length and these being laid on a flat board in succession similar slices were placed over them at right angles and their surfaces being cemented together by a sort of glue and subjected to the proper deuce of pressure and well dried the papyrus was completedrsquo (ldquoAncient Egyptiansrdquo vol iii p 148) The word used here is translated lsquobulrushesrsquo in Exo_23 where the little ark is described in which Moses was laid near the Nile the lsquorushrsquo in Job_811 and lsquorushesrsquo in Isa_357

It does not elsewhere occur That the ancients were in the practice of making light boats or vessels from the papyrus is well known Thus Theophrastus (in the ldquoHistory of Plantsrdquo iv 9)

says that lsquothe papyrus is useful for many things for from this they make vesselsrsquo or ships (πλοeα

ploia) Thus Pliny (xiii 11 22) says ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt - lsquofrom the papyrus

they weave vesselsrsquo Again (vi 56 57) lsquoEven nowrsquo says he lsquoin the Britannic Ocean useful vessels are made of bark on the Nile from the papyrus and from reeds and rushesrsquo Plutarch describes Isis going in search of the body of Osiris lsquothrough the fenny country in a bark made of the

papyrus (fνβαριδιπαπυοινη en baridi papnoine) where it is supposed that persons using boats of

this description (fνπαπυρινοιςhκαφεσιπλωοντας en papurinois okaphisi pleontas) are never attacked by crocodiles out of respect to the goddessrsquo (De Isa_181-7) Moses also it will be remembered was exposed on the banks of the Nile in a similar boat or ark lsquoShe took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it With slime and with pitch and put the child thereinrsquo Exo_23

The same word occurs here (גמא gome) which is used by Isaiah and this fact shows that such boats were known as early as the time of Moses Lucan also mentions boats made of the papyrus at Memphis

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro - Phar iv 136

At Memphis boats are woven together from the marshy papyrus

The sculptures of Thebes Memphis and other places abundantly show that they were employed as punts or canoes for fishing in all parts of Egypt during the inundation of the Nilersquo (Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians vol iii p 186) In our own country also it will be remembered the natives were accustomed to make canoes or vessels of the bark of the birch with which they

often adventured on even dangerous navigation The circumstance here mentioned of the גמא go

me (the papyrus) seems to fix the scene of this prophecy to the region of the Nile This reed

grew nowhere else and it is natural therefore to suppose that some nation living near the Nile is intended Taylor the editor of Calmet has shown that the inhabitants of the upper regions of the Nile were accustomed to form floats of hollow earthen vessels and to weave them together with rushes and thus to convey them to Lower Egypt to market He supposes that by lsquovessels of bulrushesrsquo or rush floats are meant such vessels (For a description of the ldquofloatsrdquo made in Upper Egypt with ldquojarsrdquo see Pocockersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo vol i p 84 Ed London 1743) lsquoI first saw in this voyage (on the Nile) the large floats of earthen-ware they are about thirty feet wide and sixty feet long being a frame of palm boughs tied together about four feet deep on which they put a layer of large jars with the mouths uppermost on these they make another floor and then put on another layer of jars and so a third which last are so disposed as to trim the float and leave room for the men to go between The float lies across the river one end being lower down than the other toward the lower end on each side they have four long poles with which they row and direct the boat as well as forward the motion downrsquo Mr Bruce in his ldquoTravelsrdquo mentions vessels made of the papyrus in Abyssinia

Upon the waters - The waters of the Nile or the Red Sea

Saying - This word is not in the Hebrew and the introduction of it by the translators gives a peculiar and probably an incorrect sense to the whole passage As it stands here it would seem to be the language of the inhabitants of the land who sent the ambassadors usually saying to their messengers to go to a distant nation and this introduces an inquiry into the characteristics of the nation to ldquowhomrdquo the ambassadors are sent as if it were a ldquodifferentrdquo people from those who are mentioned in Isa_171 But probably the words which follow are to be regarded as the words of the prophet or of God Isa_174 giving commandment to those messengers to ldquoreturnrdquo to those who sent them and deliver the message which follows lsquoYou send messengers to distant nations in reed boats upon the rivers Return says God to the land which sent you foth and

announce to them the will of God Go rapidly in your light vessels and bear this message for it shall speedily be executed and I will sit calmly and see it donersquo Isa_174-6 A remarkably similar passage which throws great light on this occurs in Eze_309 lsquoIn that day shall messengers go forth from me (God) in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it comethrsquo

Go ye swift messengers - Hebrew lsquoLight messengersrsquo This is evidently addressed to the boats Achilles Tatius says that they were frequently so light and small that they would carry but one person (Rosenmuller)

To a nation - What nation this was is not known The ldquoobviousrdquo import of the passge is that it was some nation to whom they were ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send ambassadors and that it is here added merely as ldquodescriptiverdquo of the people Two or three characterstics of the nation are mentioned from which we may better learn what people are referred to

Scattered - (ממשך memushak) This word is derived from משך mashak ldquoto seize take hold fastrdquo to draw out extend or prolong to make double or strong to spread out The Septuagint

renders it kθνοςmicroετέωρον Ethnos meteoron - lsquoA lofty nationrsquo Chaldee lsquoA people suffering violencersquo Syraic lsquoA nation distortedrsquo Vulgate lsquoA people convulsed and laceratedrsquo It ldquomayrdquo denote a people ldquospread outrdquo over a great extent of country or a people ldquodrawn out in lengthrdquo - that is extended over a country of considerable length but of comparatively narrow breadth as Egypt is so Vitringa understands it Or it may mean a people ldquostrong valiantrdquo so Gesenius understands it This best suits the connection as being a people lsquoterrible hithertorsquo Perhaps all these ideas may be united by the supposition that the nation was drawn out or extended over a large region and was ldquothereforerdquo a powerful or mighty people The idea of its being ldquoscatteredrdquo is not in the text Taylor renders it lsquoA people of short stature contracted in height that is dwarfsrsquo But the idea in the text is not one that is descriptive of ldquoindividualsrdquo but of the ldquocollectedrdquo nation the people

And peeled - (מרט moratʖ from מרט maratʖ) to make smooth or sharpen as a swordrdquo Ezek

2114-32 then to make smooth the head of any one to pluck off his hair Ezr_93 Neh_1325

Isa_506) The Septuagint renders it Ξένονλαpνκαχαλεπόν Cenon laon kai chalepon - lsquoA foreign and wicked peoplersquo Vulgate lsquoTo a people laceratedrsquo The Syriac renders the whole verse lsquoGo swift messengers to a people perverse and torn to a people whose strength has been long since taken away a people defiled and trodden down whose land the rivers have spoiledrsquo The word used here is capable of two significations

(1) It may denote a people who are shaved or made smooth by removing the hair from the body It is known to have been the custom with the Egyptians to make their bodies smooth by shaving off the hair as Herodotus testifies (xi 37) Or

(2) It may be translated as Gesenius proposes a people valiant fierce bold from the sense which the verb has ldquoto sharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115-16

The former is the most obvious interpretation and agrees best with the proper meaning of the Hebrew word the latter would perhaps better suit the connection The editor of Calmer supposes that it is to be taken in the sense of ldquodiminished small dwarfishrdquo and would apply it to the ldquopigmiesrdquo of Upper Egypt

To a people terrible - That is warlike fierce cruel Hebrew lsquoA people fearedrsquo If the Egyptians are meant it may refer to the fact that they had always been an object of terror and alarm to the Israelites from their early oppressions there before their deliverance under Moses

From their beginning hitherto - Hebrew lsquoFrom this time and formerlyrsquo It has been their general character that they were a fierce harsh oppressive nation Gesenius however renders this lsquoTo the formidable nation (and) further beyondrsquo and supposes that two nations are referred

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

fed by many larger or smaller tributary streams (as well as mountain torrents) the Blue Nile

even more than the Nile proper And this abundance of water in the land to the south of Seveneh and still farther south beyond Seba (or Meroeuml) might very well have been known to the prophet as a general fact The land ldquobeyond the rivers of Cushrdquo is the land bounded by the sources of the Nile ie (including Ethiopia itself in the stricter sense of the word) the south land under Ethiopian rule that lay still deeper in the heart of the country the land of its African auxiliary tribes whose names (which probably include the later Nubians and Abyssinians) as given in 2Ch_123 Nah_39 Eze_305 Jer_469 suppose a minuteness of information which has not yet been attained by modern research To this Ethiopia which is designated by its farthest limits (compare Zep_310 where Wolff in his book of Judith erroneously supposes Media to be

intended as the Asiatic Cush) the prophets give the strange name of eretz tziltzal cenap This has been interpreted as meaning ldquothe land of the wings of an army with clashing armsrdquo by Gesenius

and others but cenaphaim does not occur in this sense like agappim in Ezekiel Others render it

ldquothe land of the noise of wavesrdquo (Umbreit) but cenaphaim cannot be used of waters except in

such a connection as Isa_88 Moreover tziltzal is not a fitting onomatopoetic word either for

the clashing of arms or the noise of waves Others again render it ldquothe land of the double shadowrdquo (Grotius Vitringa Knobel and others) but however appropriate this epithet might be to Ethiopia as a tropical land it is very hazardous to take the word in a sense which is not sustained by the usage of the language and the same objection may be brought against Luzzattos ldquoland of the far-shadowing defencerdquo Shelling has also suggested another objection - namely that the shadow thrown even in tropical lands is not a double one falling northwards and southwards at the same time and therefore that it cannot be figuratively described as

double-winged Tziltzal cenaphaim is the buzzing of the wings of insects with which Egypt and

Ethiopia swarmed on account of the climate and the abundance of water צלצל constr צלצל tinnitus stridor a primary meaning from which the other three meanings of the word-cymbal harpoon (a whirring dart) and grasshopper

(Note Schroumlring supposes tziltzal to be the scarabaeus sacer (Linn) but it would be much

more natural if any particular animal is intended to think of the tzaltzalya as it is called in

the language of the Gallas the tzetze in the Betschuana language the most dreaded diptera

of the interior of Africa a species of glossina which attacks all the larger mammalia (though not men) Vid Hartmann Naturgeschichtlich-medic Skizze der Nillaumlnder Abth i p 205)

- are derived In Isa_718 the forces of Egypt are called ldquothe fly from the end of the rivers of Egyptrdquo Here Egypt and Ethiopia are called the land of the whirring of wings inasmuch as the prophet had in his mind under the designation of swarms of insects the motley swarms of different people included in this great kingdom that were so fabulously strange to an Asiatic Within this great kingdom messengers were now passing to and fro upon its great waters in

boats of papyrus (on gome Copt ‛gome Talm gami see at Job_811) Greek βαρίδεςπαπύριναι (β

αρίς from the Egyptian bari bali a barque) In such vessels as these and with Egyptian tackle they went as far as the remote island of Taprobane The boats were made to clap together

(pilcatiles) so as to be carried past the cataracts (Parthey on Plutarch de Iside pp 198-9) And it

is to these messengers in their paper boats that the appeal of the prophet is addressed

He sends them home and what they are to say to their own people is generalized into an announcement to the whole earth ldquoGo swift messengers to the people stretched out and polished to the terrible people far away on the other side to the nation of command upon

command and treading down whose land rivers cut through All ye possessors of the globe and inhabitants of the earth when a banner rises on the mountains look ye and when they blow the trumpets hearkenrdquo We learn from what follows to what it is that the attention of Ethiopia and all the nations of the earth is directed it is the destruction of Asshur by Jehovah They are to attend when they observe the two signals the banner and the trumpet-blast these are decisive moments Because Jehovah was about to deliver the world from the conquering might of Assyria against which the Ethiopian kingdom was now summoning all the means of self-defence the prophet sends the messengers home Their own people to which he sends them

home are elaborately described They are memusshak stretched out ie very tall (lxx Kθνοςmicroετέ

ωρον) just as the Sabaeans are said to have been in Isa_4514 They are also morat = memorat (Ges sect52 Anm 6) smoothed politus ie either not disfigured by an ugly growth of hair or else without any reference to depilation but rather with reference to the bronze colour of their skin smooth and shining with healthy freshness The description which Herodotus gives of the

Ethiopians microέγιστοικακάλλιστοιQνθρώπωνπάντων (iii 20) quite answers to these first two predicates They are still further described with reference to the wide extent of their kingdom

which reached to the remotest south as ldquothe terrible nation הSאמן־הו והל rdquo ie from this point

where the prophet meets with the messengers farther and farther off (compare 1Sa_2021-22 but not 1Sa_189 where the expression has a chronological meaning which would be less

suitable here where everything is so pictorial and which is also to be rejected because אמן־הו

cannot be equivalent to הוא cf Nah_29) We may see from Isa_2810 Isa_2813 what ka מאשר

v (kaZv with connecting accusatives and before makkeph) a measuring or levelling line signifies

when used by the prophet with the reduplication which he employs here it is a people of ldquocommand upon commandrdquo - that is to say a commanding nation (according to Ewald

Knobel and others kav is equivalent to the Arabic kuwe strength a nation of double or gigantic

strength) ldquoA people of treading downrdquo (sc of others mebusah is a second genitive to goi) ie one which subdues and tramples down wherever it appears These are all distinctive predicates - a nation of imposing grandeur a ruling and conquering nation The last predicate extols its

fertile land זא we take not in the sense of diripere or as equivalent to bazaz like מ^ס to melt

equivalent to masas but in the sense of findere ie as equivalent to בזע like מא_ to sip = מע_ For it is no praise to say that a land is scoured out or washed away by rivers Boumlttcher who is wrong in describing this chapter as ldquoperhaps the most difficult in the whole of the Old

Testamentrdquo very aptly compares with it the expression used by Herodotus (ii 108) κατετmicroήθηb

Αdγυπτος But why this strange elaboration instead of the simple name There is a divine irony in

the fact that a nation so great and glorious and (though not without reason considering its natural gifts) so full of self-consciousness should be thrown into such violent agitation in the prospect of the danger that threatened it and should be making such strenuous exertions to avert that danger when Jehovah the God of Israel was about to destroy the threatening power itself in a night and consequently all the care and trouble of Ethiopia were utterly needless

7 BI ldquoThe Ethiopians

The people here peculiarly described are the Ethiopians and the prophet prophesies the effect on Ethiopia of the judgment concerning Assyria which Jehovah executes as Drechsler has

convincingly proved and as is now universally recognised (F Delitzsch)

Ethiopia

What land is it of which the prophet speaks It is no doubt Ethiopia itself a great kingdom in the olden time For although he says ldquobeyond the rivers of Ethiopiardquo that is the Blue Nile and the White Nile and the Astaboras the meaning is perhaps more accurately ldquobesiderdquo those rivers In any event the ancient land of Ethiopia reached out to the south far beyond the confluence of those rivers in the mighty Nile including probably all upper Egypt beyond Philae Nubia and the northern portion of modern Abyssinia It was a fertile country very rich in gold ivory ebony frankincense and precious stones A country thickly inhabited by a stalwart well-formed race ldquomen of staturerdquo the prophet calls them who if they were black were yet comely It was a mighty kingdom for many centuries a rival of Egypt sometimes its enemy and apparently even its conqueror a kingdom able to make war against the Assyrians and a kingdom too carrying on a great trade by means of abundant merchandise with many people (A Ritchie)

ldquoThe land shadowing with wingsrdquo

1 Full of poetic suggestion is the expression ldquoshadowing with wingsrdquo The thought is of tender protection as the mother bird hovers over and shields her young The Psalmist is never tired of crying out to God ldquoHide me under the covering of Thy wingsrdquo It was right that Israel and Judah should cry thus to Jehovah for protection but not that they should look to the shadowing wings of Ethiopia Just as it was pathetically true that in later times our Lord should say of the Holy City ldquoO Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thy children together even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would notrdquomdashso seven hundred years earlier it was true that Judah would not seek refuge under the wings of the Lord but under the shadowing of Egypt and the covering of Ethiopia

2 In the Revised Version we have the passage rendered ldquoAh the land of the rustling of wingsrdquo Some of the old commentators find in this an allusion to the multitude of bees and the swarms of flies in Ethiopia so that there the hum of wings was never absent More picturesque is another suggestion that the reference is to the ever plashing waters of the rivers hurrying along with swift current in rapids and through cataracts until the broad bosom of father Nile was reached The swish and lapping of the rushing waters seemed to the poet like the noise made by the swift flight of many birds beating the air with strong pinions as they sweep on towards the horizon

3 If we turn to the Septuagint the Greek Old Testament we read the text thus ldquoWoe to you ye wings of the land of shipsrdquo What are the wings of the land of ships but the many sails whereby those ships flit hither and thither One sees before him a new picture The graceful dahabiehs with their long yards and triangular sails dotting the water everywhere and naturally suggesting great sea birds with outspread wings shining in the starlight white and ghostly on the calm surface of the mysterious river which is Egyptrsquos life

4 Some of the more acute Hebrew scholars point out that it is possible to understand the prophetrsquos language in yet another way ldquoWoe to the land where the shadow falleth both waysrdquo that is of course near the Equator where sometimes the shadows stretch out to the south and sometimes to the north according to the time of the year If we understand our text so it is natural to see in it an allusion to the fickleness of the Ethiopians a nation which

Judah vainly trusted in since today it would be found an ally and tomorrow an enemy (A Ritchie)

The prophetrsquos charge to the Ethiopian ambassadors

Ethiopia (Hebrews ldquoCushrdquo) corresponds generally to the modern Soudan (ie the blacks) Egypt and Ethiopia were at this time ruled by Tirkakah (704-685) His ambassadors are in Jerusalem offering an alliance against the Assyrian and the prophet sends them back to their people with the words ldquoGo ye swift messengersrdquo etc Jehovah needs no help against His enemies (A BDavidson LL D)

Note

Full stop at ldquowatersrdquo (Isa_182) and omit ldquosayingrdquo The prophet speaks ldquoGo ye swift messengers to a nation tall and smooth a nation all-powerful and subduing whose land rivers divide (intersect)rdquo ldquoSmoothrdquo may refer to the glancing bronzed skin of the people (A BDavidson LL D)

Vessels of bulrushes

It is well known that timber proper for building ships was very scarce in Egypt to supply this deficiency the Egyptians used bulrushes or a reed called papyrus of which they made vessels fit for sailing Ships and boats built of this sort of materials being extremely light and drawing very little water were admirably suited to traverse the Nile along the banks of which there were doubtless many morasses and shoals They were also very convenient and easy to be managed at the waterfalls where they might be carried with no great difficulty to smooth water From such circumstances as these we may conclude that they would sail exceeding fast and afford a very speedy conveyance of all kinds of intelligence from one part of the country to another and from Egypt to neighbouring nations In them therefore ambassadors or messengers were often sent to different places with various kinds of information after having received their orders in terms such as these ldquoGo ye swift messengersrdquo (R Macculloch)

They were made for folding together so that they could be carried past the cataracts (F Delitzsch D D)

8 PULPIT ldquoTHE HOMAGE OF ETHIOPIA TO JEHOVAH Amid the general excitement caused by the

advance of Assyria Ethiopia also is stirred and stirred to its furthest limits The king sends messengers in

beats upon the canals and rivers to summon his troops to his standard (Isa_181 Isa_182) The earth

stands agaze to see the result of the approaching collision (Isa_183) but God rests calmly in heaven

while events are ripening (Isa_184 Isa_185) When the time comes he will strike the blowmdashAssyria will

be given to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field (Isa_186) Then Ethiopia will make an act of

homage to Jehovah by the sending of a present to Jerusalem (Isa_187) The time seems to be that

immediately preceding the great invasion of Sennacherib when Shabatok the Ethiopian was King of

Egypt and Tirhakah (Tahark) either Crown Prince under him or more probably Lord Paramount of Egypt

over him and reigning at Napata

Isa_181

Woe to the land rather Ho for the land (comp Isa_1712) Shadowing with wings literally either the

land of the shadow of wings or the land of the noise of wings most probably the latter Allusion is thought

to be made to the swarms of buzzing flies especially the tsetse with which Ethiopia abounds At the

same time these swarms are perhaps intended to be taken as emblems of the hosts of warriors which

Ethiopia can send forth (comp Isa_718) Beyond the rivers of Ethiopia The prophet cannot be

supposed to have had more than a vague knowledge of African geography He seems however robe

aware that Ethiopia is a land of many rivers (see Bakers Nile Tributaries) and he assumes that the

dominion of the Ethiopian kings extends even beyond these rivers to the south of them His object is as

Mr Cheyne says to emphasize the greatness of Ethiopia It may be questioned however whether the

dominion of the Ethiopian kings of the time extended so far as he supposed The seat of their power was

Napata now Gebel Berkal in the great bend of the Nile between lat 18deg and 19deg N and its southern limit

was probably Khar-toum and the line of the Blue Nile

9 CALVIN ldquo1Woe to the land I cannot determine with certainty what is the nation of which Isaiah

speaks though he shews plainly that it bordered on Ethiopia Some consider it to refer to the whole of

Egypt but this is a mistake for in the next chapter he treats of Egypt separately from which it is evident

that the people here meant were distinct from the Egyptians Some think that the Troglodytes are here

meant which does not appear to me to be probable for they had no intercourse with other nations

because their language as geographers tell us was hissing and not speech (12) but those who are

mentioned evidently had intercourse and leagues with other nations

Still it is uncertain whether they leagued against the Jews or joined with the Egyptians in driving out the

Assyrians If they were avowed enemies to the Jews Isaiah threatens punishment but if they deceived

them by false promises he shews that nothing is to be expected from them because by idle messages

they will only protract the time However that may be from the neighboring nations to be mentioned in the

next chapter we may in part ascertain where they were situated that is not far from Egypt and Ethiopia

yet some may be disposed to view it as a description of that part of Ethiopia which lay on the sea-coast

for we shall afterwards see that the Assyrians were at war with the king of the Ethiopians (Isa_379)

When he says that that land shadows with wings we learn from it that its sea was well supplied with

harbours so that it had many vessels sailing to it and was wealthy for small and poor states could not

maintain intercourse or traffic with foreign countries He therefore means that they performed many

voyages

(12) ldquo Ethiopian Troglodytesrdquo says Herodotus ldquo the swiftest of foot of all men of whom we have received

any accounts The Troglodytes feed on serpents and lizards and reptiles of that sort and the language

which they have adopted has no resemblance to any other but they screech like bats mdash Herod 4183

FT270 ldquo vessels of bulrushesrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT271 ldquo and peeled or outspread and polishedrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT272 ldquo nation meted out and trodden downrdquo Heb ldquo nation of line and line and treading under footrdquo mdash

Eng Ver

FT273 ldquo nation meted out by line that is utterly subdued Heb Put under line and line to decide what part

of them should be destroyed and what saved by the conquerors In this manner David is described

(2Sa_82) as having dealt with the children of Moab See Lam_28 Such a nation might well deserve to

be calleddrawn out and pilled that is drawn through the fingers (or an instrument) like a willow in order to

be peeled and made fit for wicker workrdquo mdash Stock

FT274 ldquoVidebitisrdquo ldquoVous le verrezrdquo

FT275 ldquo yerdquo ldquo yerdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT276 ldquo I will consider in my dwelling-placerdquo mdash Eng Ver ldquo will rest and look round in my dwelling-placerdquo

mdash Stock

FT277 ldquo a clear heat upon herbsrdquo or ldquo rainrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT278 Like the clear heat at the coming of daylight The resting of Jehovah hovering over the enemy till

they are ripe for destruction is here beautifully compared to the condensed gloom before daylight which

is wont to usher in a hot summerrsquo day and to the sheet of dew that appears to hang over the ground in

harvest time presently after sunset עלי (ălē) is here used for near the time of as we say against such a

time אור עלי (ălēō) prope lucem adventante luce mdash Stock

FT279 Rosenmuuml takes notice of another reading supported by the Septuagint Syriac and Vulgate ביום

the heat of harvestrdquo but justly ldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר בהם at the time of harvestrdquo instead ofldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר

remarks that it makes no difference to the meaning mdash Ed

FT280 ldquo is their dead bodiesrdquo mdash Jarchi

FT281 ldquo quit the metaphor the flourishing leaders of a people devoted by Jehovah to destruction shall be

cut off and trampled on The people here spoken of are the Assyrians under Sennacheribrdquo mdash Stock

10 PULPIT ldquoThe contrast of Divine calm with human bustle hurry and excitement

When men take a matter in hand wherein they feel an interest and set themselves either to carry out a

certain design of their own or to frustrate the designs of others nothing is more remarkable than the

fuss that they make about it Heaven and earth are moved so to speak for the accomplishment of the

desired end the entire nation is excited stirred thrilled to its lowest depths a universal eagerness

prevails all is noise clamor haste bustle tumult whirl confusion Assyrias noise is compared

(Isa_1712) to the roar of the sea and the rushing of mighty waters Ethiopias stir is like the sound of

many wings (Isa_181) Even Cyrus though he has a Divine mission cannot set about it without the

noise of a multitude in the mountains like as of a great people a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of

nations gathered together (Isa_134) It is in vain that men are told to stand still and see the salvation of

God (Exo_1413) or admonished that in quietness and confidence should be their strength

(Isa_3015) they cannot bring themselves to act on the advice tendered Great minds indeed are

comparatively quiet and tranquil but even they are liable upon occasion to be swept away by the

prevailing wave of excited feeling and dragged as it were from their moorings into a turbid ocean And

the mass of mankind is wholly without calm or stability It trembles flutters rushes hither and thither

mistakes activity for energy and fussiness for the power of achievement This condition of things results

from three weaknesses in man

1 His want of patience

2 His want of confidence in himself

3 His want of confidence in God

I MANS WANT OF PATIENCE Man desires to obtain whatever end he sets himself at once The boy is

impatient to be grown up the subaltern would at once be a general the clerk a partner the student a

professor of his science Men make haste to be rich (Pro_2820) and overshoot the mark and fall hack

into poverty They strive to become world-famous when they are mere tyros and put fetch ambitions

writings which only show their ignorance They fail to recognize the force of the proverb that everything

comes to those who wait To toil long to persevere to make a small advance day after daymdashthis seems

to them a poor thing an unsatisfactory mode of procedure They would reach the end per saltum by a

bound Hence their haste Too often most haste is worst speed Vaulting ambition cloth oer leap itself

and falls on the other side

II MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IN HIMSELF He who is sure of himself can afford to wait He knows

that he will succeed in the end what matters whether a little sooner or a little later But the bulk of men

are not sure of themselves they misdoubt their powers capacities perseverance steadiness reserve

fund of energy Hence their spasmodic efforts hurried movements violent agitations frantic rushings

hither and thither If they do not gain their end at once they despair of ever attaining it They are

conscious of infinite weakness in themselves and feel that they cannot tell what a day may bring forth in

the way of defeat and disappointment They say that it is necessary to strike while the iron is hot but their

real reason for haste is that they question whether their ability to strike will not have passed away if they

delay ever so little

III MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IS GOD He who feels that God is on his side has no need to

disquiet himself He will not fear the powers of darkness he will not be afraid of what flesh can do unto

him But comparatively few men have this feeling Either they put the thoughts of God altogether away

from them or they view him as an enemy or they misdoubt at any rate his sympathy with themselves

Mostly they feel that they do not deserve his sympathy They cannot rest in the Lord and they cannot

find rest outside of him Hence they remain in perpetual disturbance and unrest Strangely in contrast with

mans unquiet is Gods immovable calm and unruffled tranquility The Lord said I will take my rest

(Isa_184) None can really resist his will and hence he has no need to trouble himself if resistance is

attempted The fierceness of man will always turn to his praise Time is no object with him who is

above time whose goings have been from the days of eternity (Mic_52) In silence and calm he

accomplishes his everlasting purposes Himself at rest in the still depths of his unchangeable nature it is

he alone who can give his creatures rest As they grow mere like to him they will grow more and more

tranquil until the time comes when they will enter finally into that rest which remaineth for his people

(Heb_49)

11 PULPIT ldquoHomage of Ethiopia to Jehovah

I AGITATION IN ETHIOPIA The oracle opens with a scene full of life Hosts of Egyptian and Ethiopian

warriors are seen like buzzing swarms of flies moving to and fro Messengers are speeding in papyrus

boats to announce the approach of the Assyrians The Ethiopians are described as a nation tall and

polished terrible strong and all-subduing whose land rivers cut through A sense of mystery and

greatness hung about this and from the earliest timesmdashthe land of the source of the Nile opened up by

our countryman Spoke and others The prophet lifts up his voice to this people A signal will be seen on

the mountains the blast of a trumpet will be heard There will be symptoms of the Divine presence

restraining overruling the wrath of men for ends of Divine wisdom When wars are carried on every one

sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the beginning and end of them to chance

On the other hand Isaiah shows that all these things ought to be ascribed to God because he will display

his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he works so as to conceal his hand and to

prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he displays his hand in it in such a manner

that all men are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the prophet meant (Calvin)

II THE WAITING OF JEHOVAH Impressive is the contrast between the noise and stir and agitation

below and the calmness above Jehovah will be stillmdashas the blue sky behind a moving host of clouds

above a surging sea below In the second psalm we have the picture of him sitting in the heavens and

laughing at the vain attempts of the enemies of the Messianic kingdom There are three thoughts here

1 The repose of God It seems as if we must ever contemplate him resting from his toils of designing and

creating and providingmdashentered on an eternal sabbath The consciousness of vast force sleeping held

in reserve we must conceive of in God Hence his stillness amidst our excitement At times when vague

movements are passing through the bosom of society many voices rend the air with opposing cries deep

questions agitate the heart and conscience of thoughtful men We long to hear the one infallible voice to

see the signal extended and yet God speaks not a word Perhaps it may be said a still small voice

saying Be still and know that I am God may be heard by acuter spiritual ears His stillness must be the

effect of infinite strength and profoundest confidence

2 His contemplativeness He looks on in his mansion Not as the Epicureans represented the gods of

the heathen sitting apart reckless of the weal or woe of men but intently watchful of the development of

things the ripening of good the gathering up of evil towards the day of sifting and judgment In a powerful

biblical image his eyes are in every place beholding the good and the evil And our thought to be in

harmony with his must in many matters and at many times fall into the mood of contemplation Instead of

seeking to theorize rashly upon the strange mixture of tendencies life at any troubled epoch presents it

were well to possess our souls in patiencemdashto look on and let both grow together till the harvest

3 His waiting attitude While there is clear heat in sunshine while there are clouds of dew in harvest-

heat he is waiting till the fruit of Assyrian annoyance is all but ripe The heat and the clouds of dew

hasten the powers in nature there are corresponding forces at work in the moral world seen by him to be

working towards certain results God can wait because he knows And may not we in a measure

compose our souls into that attitude of waiting Some things we too know about many others we can

say God knows and so leave them Especially so in times or in moods of alarm In the present case

men below see one picture of the future quite another is seen by God above To them a vast black cloud

is gathering over the horizon he sees the sun that will presently smite it asunder They see a fell harvest

of woe for themselves ripening he has the pruning-knife in his hand with which he will make havoc

among the growth They see an immense host of irresistible warriors he the birds of prey and the beasts

that will soon be feeding upon their remains Let us think of the immense reserves of force at the disposal

of Jehovah The statesman in times of alarm assures a trembling country that the resources of

civilization are not yet exhausted yet they have their limit Behind them lie the absolutely inexhaustible

resources of the living and eternal God Let our hearts be stayed on him and all will be well

III THE EFFECT ON ETHIOPIA They will bring a tribute to Jehovah Sabaoth to the Lord of hosts in his

seat on Mount Zion It is he who has done these things We find the like impressive picture passing

before a prophetic eye in Psa_6832 Kingdoms of splendor come out of Egypt Ethiopia stretches out

her hands to God The gathering of so glorious a people into the true Church is to be the result of the

manifestation of the power of Israels God

LESSONS

1 The providence of God over the Church He shows that he takes care of the Church and that though

he determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their powers In order therefore to excite them to patience

he not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation (Calvin)

2 The indestructibility of the spiritual life This must not be confounded with the institutions in which it

dwells for a time But understanding the Church in the spiritual or mystical sense it cannot perish

Calvin wrote in his day The Church is not far from despair being plundered scattered and everywhere

crushed and trodden underfoot What must be done in straits so numerous and so distressing We ought

to lay hold on these promises so as to believe that God will still preserve the Church The body may be

torn shivered into fragments and scattered still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will

never allow the remembrance and calling on his Name to perish

3 The self-concealment of God The trial of faith in all ages Oh that he would show his face bare his

arm disclose his majesty exert his power appear as Judge to end once for all the strifes of the world

But we must learn to say Gods in his heaven alls right with the world At the proper season he will

come forth If he instantly cut the wicked down and took them away like a sprouting blade of corn his

power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so fully ascertained as when he permits

them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may afterwards fall by their own weight or

like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-knives

4 The unity of religion the prophetic ideal Mount Zion was its ancient symbol for us it is not Rome nor

any other city or mountmdashit is the human heart with all its pathos its faith hope and love its regenerate

life and aspirations it is one spirit universal in mankindmdashJ

12 PULPIT ldquoThe patience of power

The most striking and distinctive truth this chapter contains is that of the patience of Divine power which

permits evil to rise and to mature and which at the right moment effectually intervenes But there are

other points beside this they aremdash

I THE MISDIRECTION OF HUMAN INTELLIGENCE Whatever may be the right translation and the true

application of these verses it is clear that reference is made to a warlike peoplemdasha people terrible to

their neighbors a people of command or treading underfoot aggressive and victorious It shows how

far we have fallen from our first estate and from the condition for which we were created that it does not

strike us as strange that this should be the description of a people that the number of nations whom it

characterizes is so great that we fail to identify the nation which is in the prophets vision Under sin it has

become common not to say natural that a nation should be terrible should be treading down or

crushing and full of commands to its neighbors But to how much better purpose might the strong

peoples of the earth devote their strength God has made rich provision for the peaceable and fruitful

exercise of our largest powers There are rivers and seas (Isa_182) for travelling exploration commerce

there is vegetation (bulrushes papyrus) which may be made to carry mens bodies or which by the

exercise of human ingenuity may be made to convey their thoughts to distant lands and remotest times

there is land and there are seeds there is sunshine and there is dew which can be made to produce

golden harvests that will satisfy mans wants and minister to his most refined tastes (Isa_184 Isa_185)

there are birds and beasts (Isa_186) with whose habits men may become intelligently familiar there is

wealth beneath the soil in precious metals which can not only be raised and collected to enrich the

homes of men but which can be conveyed as the tribute of piety to the house of the Lord (Isa_187)

But despising and neglecting such materials and such ambitions as these nations have aspired to rule

over othersmdashhave perfected themselves in all the arts and enginery of war have congratulated

themselves on nothing so much as in being terrible to those on the other side the river or across the

mountain range

II THE COMPLETENESS OF MANS OVERTHROW IN THE DAY OF DIVINE ANGER The destruction

threatened (Isa_185 Isa_186) probably refers to that of the army of Sennacherib but if the reference be

to some other national calamity it certainly points to an overthrow signal and fearful from which the

imagination turns away oppressed So has it been found both by individual men and nations that when

God arises to judgment their feeble defenses are scattered to the winds and their doom is utterly

irreversible by anything they can do to mend it (see Psa_21-12 6317-20 Psa_926 Psa_929)

III THE LESSON OF GODS JUDGMENTS The result in this case is seen in the bringing of a tribute to

the Lord (Isa_187) If God puts forth his power in overwhelming retribution it is chiefly if not wholly that

they who witness it (men or nations) may repent of their own misdeeds or impiety and may return unto

the Lord in penitence in prayer in consecration for the most acceptable present that can be brought

unto the Lord of hosts is the humbled believing obedient heart

IV THE PATIENCE OF DIVINE POWER (Isa_184) The Lord said I will fake my rest [I will be calm or

still] I will consider in my dwelling-place [I will look on from my habitation] like a clear heat upon herbs

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest God will not be provoked into hurried and impatient judgments

he will retain a Divine composure he will manifest the patience which belongs to conscious power the

heavens should be as still as on the calmest summer day while evil was working to its bitter end while sin

was advancing to its doom Here is a contrast to us and here are lessons for us We in our finite

feebleness are often impatient in spirit and hurried in action We are afraid that if we do not strike at

once we shall not have time to strike at all or that our resources of retribution will fall or that our

adversary will be out of our reach God can entertain no such fear and be affected by no such thought

1 All time is at his command

2 All resources are in his hands

3 The men (nations) whom he may find it needful to chastise can never be beyond the reach of his

power

Hence his calmness in place of our confusion his patience in contrast with our feverish restlessness

(1) Let not the wicked presume on Divine disregard God will put forth his hand in punishment at his own

chosen time

(2) Let not the righteous be surprised or disheartened by his delay he does not count time by our

chronometry he has not the reasons for haste which urge us to immediate action the hour of his merciful

intervention will arrive in timemdashC

2 which sends envoys by sea

in papyrus boats over the water

Go swift messengers

to a people tall and smooth-skinned

to a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by rivers

1BARNES ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors - That is ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send messengers What was the design of their thus sending ambassadors does not appear The prophet simply intimates the fact a fact by which they were well known It may have been for purposes of commerce or to seek protection Bochart renders the word translated lsquoambassadorsrsquo by ldquoimagesrdquo and supposes that it denotes an image of the god Osiris made of the papyrus but there

does not seem to be any reason for this opinion The word ציר tsıyr may mean an idol or image

as in Isa_4516 Psa_4915 But it usually denotes ambassadors or messengers Jos_94 Pro_2513 Pro_1317 Isa_579 Jer_4914 Oba_11

By the sea - What ldquoseardquo is here meant cannot be accurately determined The word lsquosearsquo (ים ya

m) is applied to various collections of water and may be used in reference to a sea a lake a

pond and even a large river It is often applied to the Mediterranean and where the phrase ldquoGreat Seardquo occurs it denotes that Num_346-7 Deu_1124 It is applied to the Lake of Gennesareth or the Sea of Galilee Num_3411 to the Salt Sea Gen_143 to the Red Sea often (Exo_1310 Num_1425 Num_214 Num_3310 ldquoet alrdquo) It is also applied to ldquoa large riverrdquo as ldquoe g the Nilerdquo Isa_195 Neh_38 and to the Euphrates Jer_5136 So far as this ldquowordrdquo is concerned therefore it may denote either the Mediterranean the Red Sea the Nile or the Euphrates If the country spoken of is Upper Egypt or Nubia then we are naturally led to suppose that the prophet refers either to the Nile or the Red Sea

Even in vessels of bulrushes - The word rendered lsquobulrushesrsquo (גמא gome) is derived from

the verb גמא gama ldquoto swallow sip drinkrdquo and is given to a reed or bulrush from its ldquoimbibingrdquo

water It is usually applied in the Scriptures to the Egyptian ldquopapyrusrdquo - a plant which grew on the banks of the Nile and from which we have derived our word ldquopaperrdquo lsquoThis plantrsquo says Taylor (ldquoHeb Conrdquo) lsquogrew in moist places near the Nile and was four or five yards in height Under the bark it consisted wholly of thin skins which being separated and spread out were applied to various uses Of these they made boxes and chests and even boats smearing them over with pitchrsquo These laminoe or skins also served the purpose of paper and were used instead of parchment or plates of lead and copper for writing on This plant the Cyperus Papyrus of modern botanists mostly grew in Lower Egypt in marshy land or in shallow brooks and ponds formed by the inundation of the Nile lsquoThe papyrusrsquo says Pliny lsquogrows in the marsh lands of Egypt or in the stagnant pools left inland by the Nile after it has returned to its bed which have not more than two cubits in depth

The root of the plant is the thickness of a manrsquos arm it has a triangular stalk growing not higher than ten cubits (fifteen feet) and decreasing in breadth toward the summit which is crowned with a thyrsus containing no seeds and of no use except to deck the statues of the gods They employ the roots as firewood and for making various utensils They even construct small boats of the plant and out of the rind sails mats clothes bedding ropes they eat it either crude or cooked swallowing only the juice and when they manufacture paper from it they divide the stem by means of a kind of needle into thin plates or laminae each of which is as large as the plant will admit All the paper is woven upon a table and is continually moistened with Nile water which being thick and slimy furnishes an effectual species of glue In the first place they form upon a table pefectly horizontal a layer the whole length of the papyrus which is crossed by another placed transversely and afterward enclosed within a press

The different sheets are then hung in a situation exposed to the sun in order to dry and the process is finally completed by joining them together beginning with the best There are seldom more than twenty slips or stripes produced from one stem of the plantrsquo (Pliny xiii 11 12) Wilkinson remarks that lsquothe mode of making papyri was this the interior of the stalks of the plant after the rind had been removed was cut into thin slices in the direction of their length and these being laid on a flat board in succession similar slices were placed over them at right angles and their surfaces being cemented together by a sort of glue and subjected to the proper deuce of pressure and well dried the papyrus was completedrsquo (ldquoAncient Egyptiansrdquo vol iii p 148) The word used here is translated lsquobulrushesrsquo in Exo_23 where the little ark is described in which Moses was laid near the Nile the lsquorushrsquo in Job_811 and lsquorushesrsquo in Isa_357

It does not elsewhere occur That the ancients were in the practice of making light boats or vessels from the papyrus is well known Thus Theophrastus (in the ldquoHistory of Plantsrdquo iv 9)

says that lsquothe papyrus is useful for many things for from this they make vesselsrsquo or ships (πλοeα

ploia) Thus Pliny (xiii 11 22) says ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt - lsquofrom the papyrus

they weave vesselsrsquo Again (vi 56 57) lsquoEven nowrsquo says he lsquoin the Britannic Ocean useful vessels are made of bark on the Nile from the papyrus and from reeds and rushesrsquo Plutarch describes Isis going in search of the body of Osiris lsquothrough the fenny country in a bark made of the

papyrus (fνβαριδιπαπυοινη en baridi papnoine) where it is supposed that persons using boats of

this description (fνπαπυρινοιςhκαφεσιπλωοντας en papurinois okaphisi pleontas) are never attacked by crocodiles out of respect to the goddessrsquo (De Isa_181-7) Moses also it will be remembered was exposed on the banks of the Nile in a similar boat or ark lsquoShe took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it With slime and with pitch and put the child thereinrsquo Exo_23

The same word occurs here (גמא gome) which is used by Isaiah and this fact shows that such boats were known as early as the time of Moses Lucan also mentions boats made of the papyrus at Memphis

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro - Phar iv 136

At Memphis boats are woven together from the marshy papyrus

The sculptures of Thebes Memphis and other places abundantly show that they were employed as punts or canoes for fishing in all parts of Egypt during the inundation of the Nilersquo (Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians vol iii p 186) In our own country also it will be remembered the natives were accustomed to make canoes or vessels of the bark of the birch with which they

often adventured on even dangerous navigation The circumstance here mentioned of the גמא go

me (the papyrus) seems to fix the scene of this prophecy to the region of the Nile This reed

grew nowhere else and it is natural therefore to suppose that some nation living near the Nile is intended Taylor the editor of Calmet has shown that the inhabitants of the upper regions of the Nile were accustomed to form floats of hollow earthen vessels and to weave them together with rushes and thus to convey them to Lower Egypt to market He supposes that by lsquovessels of bulrushesrsquo or rush floats are meant such vessels (For a description of the ldquofloatsrdquo made in Upper Egypt with ldquojarsrdquo see Pocockersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo vol i p 84 Ed London 1743) lsquoI first saw in this voyage (on the Nile) the large floats of earthen-ware they are about thirty feet wide and sixty feet long being a frame of palm boughs tied together about four feet deep on which they put a layer of large jars with the mouths uppermost on these they make another floor and then put on another layer of jars and so a third which last are so disposed as to trim the float and leave room for the men to go between The float lies across the river one end being lower down than the other toward the lower end on each side they have four long poles with which they row and direct the boat as well as forward the motion downrsquo Mr Bruce in his ldquoTravelsrdquo mentions vessels made of the papyrus in Abyssinia

Upon the waters - The waters of the Nile or the Red Sea

Saying - This word is not in the Hebrew and the introduction of it by the translators gives a peculiar and probably an incorrect sense to the whole passage As it stands here it would seem to be the language of the inhabitants of the land who sent the ambassadors usually saying to their messengers to go to a distant nation and this introduces an inquiry into the characteristics of the nation to ldquowhomrdquo the ambassadors are sent as if it were a ldquodifferentrdquo people from those who are mentioned in Isa_171 But probably the words which follow are to be regarded as the words of the prophet or of God Isa_174 giving commandment to those messengers to ldquoreturnrdquo to those who sent them and deliver the message which follows lsquoYou send messengers to distant nations in reed boats upon the rivers Return says God to the land which sent you foth and

announce to them the will of God Go rapidly in your light vessels and bear this message for it shall speedily be executed and I will sit calmly and see it donersquo Isa_174-6 A remarkably similar passage which throws great light on this occurs in Eze_309 lsquoIn that day shall messengers go forth from me (God) in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it comethrsquo

Go ye swift messengers - Hebrew lsquoLight messengersrsquo This is evidently addressed to the boats Achilles Tatius says that they were frequently so light and small that they would carry but one person (Rosenmuller)

To a nation - What nation this was is not known The ldquoobviousrdquo import of the passge is that it was some nation to whom they were ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send ambassadors and that it is here added merely as ldquodescriptiverdquo of the people Two or three characterstics of the nation are mentioned from which we may better learn what people are referred to

Scattered - (ממשך memushak) This word is derived from משך mashak ldquoto seize take hold fastrdquo to draw out extend or prolong to make double or strong to spread out The Septuagint

renders it kθνοςmicroετέωρον Ethnos meteoron - lsquoA lofty nationrsquo Chaldee lsquoA people suffering violencersquo Syraic lsquoA nation distortedrsquo Vulgate lsquoA people convulsed and laceratedrsquo It ldquomayrdquo denote a people ldquospread outrdquo over a great extent of country or a people ldquodrawn out in lengthrdquo - that is extended over a country of considerable length but of comparatively narrow breadth as Egypt is so Vitringa understands it Or it may mean a people ldquostrong valiantrdquo so Gesenius understands it This best suits the connection as being a people lsquoterrible hithertorsquo Perhaps all these ideas may be united by the supposition that the nation was drawn out or extended over a large region and was ldquothereforerdquo a powerful or mighty people The idea of its being ldquoscatteredrdquo is not in the text Taylor renders it lsquoA people of short stature contracted in height that is dwarfsrsquo But the idea in the text is not one that is descriptive of ldquoindividualsrdquo but of the ldquocollectedrdquo nation the people

And peeled - (מרט moratʖ from מרט maratʖ) to make smooth or sharpen as a swordrdquo Ezek

2114-32 then to make smooth the head of any one to pluck off his hair Ezr_93 Neh_1325

Isa_506) The Septuagint renders it Ξένονλαpνκαχαλεπόν Cenon laon kai chalepon - lsquoA foreign and wicked peoplersquo Vulgate lsquoTo a people laceratedrsquo The Syriac renders the whole verse lsquoGo swift messengers to a people perverse and torn to a people whose strength has been long since taken away a people defiled and trodden down whose land the rivers have spoiledrsquo The word used here is capable of two significations

(1) It may denote a people who are shaved or made smooth by removing the hair from the body It is known to have been the custom with the Egyptians to make their bodies smooth by shaving off the hair as Herodotus testifies (xi 37) Or

(2) It may be translated as Gesenius proposes a people valiant fierce bold from the sense which the verb has ldquoto sharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115-16

The former is the most obvious interpretation and agrees best with the proper meaning of the Hebrew word the latter would perhaps better suit the connection The editor of Calmer supposes that it is to be taken in the sense of ldquodiminished small dwarfishrdquo and would apply it to the ldquopigmiesrdquo of Upper Egypt

To a people terrible - That is warlike fierce cruel Hebrew lsquoA people fearedrsquo If the Egyptians are meant it may refer to the fact that they had always been an object of terror and alarm to the Israelites from their early oppressions there before their deliverance under Moses

From their beginning hitherto - Hebrew lsquoFrom this time and formerlyrsquo It has been their general character that they were a fierce harsh oppressive nation Gesenius however renders this lsquoTo the formidable nation (and) further beyondrsquo and supposes that two nations are referred

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

command and treading down whose land rivers cut through All ye possessors of the globe and inhabitants of the earth when a banner rises on the mountains look ye and when they blow the trumpets hearkenrdquo We learn from what follows to what it is that the attention of Ethiopia and all the nations of the earth is directed it is the destruction of Asshur by Jehovah They are to attend when they observe the two signals the banner and the trumpet-blast these are decisive moments Because Jehovah was about to deliver the world from the conquering might of Assyria against which the Ethiopian kingdom was now summoning all the means of self-defence the prophet sends the messengers home Their own people to which he sends them

home are elaborately described They are memusshak stretched out ie very tall (lxx Kθνοςmicroετέ

ωρον) just as the Sabaeans are said to have been in Isa_4514 They are also morat = memorat (Ges sect52 Anm 6) smoothed politus ie either not disfigured by an ugly growth of hair or else without any reference to depilation but rather with reference to the bronze colour of their skin smooth and shining with healthy freshness The description which Herodotus gives of the

Ethiopians microέγιστοικακάλλιστοιQνθρώπωνπάντων (iii 20) quite answers to these first two predicates They are still further described with reference to the wide extent of their kingdom

which reached to the remotest south as ldquothe terrible nation הSאמן־הו והל rdquo ie from this point

where the prophet meets with the messengers farther and farther off (compare 1Sa_2021-22 but not 1Sa_189 where the expression has a chronological meaning which would be less

suitable here where everything is so pictorial and which is also to be rejected because אמן־הו

cannot be equivalent to הוא cf Nah_29) We may see from Isa_2810 Isa_2813 what ka מאשר

v (kaZv with connecting accusatives and before makkeph) a measuring or levelling line signifies

when used by the prophet with the reduplication which he employs here it is a people of ldquocommand upon commandrdquo - that is to say a commanding nation (according to Ewald

Knobel and others kav is equivalent to the Arabic kuwe strength a nation of double or gigantic

strength) ldquoA people of treading downrdquo (sc of others mebusah is a second genitive to goi) ie one which subdues and tramples down wherever it appears These are all distinctive predicates - a nation of imposing grandeur a ruling and conquering nation The last predicate extols its

fertile land זא we take not in the sense of diripere or as equivalent to bazaz like מ^ס to melt

equivalent to masas but in the sense of findere ie as equivalent to בזע like מא_ to sip = מע_ For it is no praise to say that a land is scoured out or washed away by rivers Boumlttcher who is wrong in describing this chapter as ldquoperhaps the most difficult in the whole of the Old

Testamentrdquo very aptly compares with it the expression used by Herodotus (ii 108) κατετmicroήθηb

Αdγυπτος But why this strange elaboration instead of the simple name There is a divine irony in

the fact that a nation so great and glorious and (though not without reason considering its natural gifts) so full of self-consciousness should be thrown into such violent agitation in the prospect of the danger that threatened it and should be making such strenuous exertions to avert that danger when Jehovah the God of Israel was about to destroy the threatening power itself in a night and consequently all the care and trouble of Ethiopia were utterly needless

7 BI ldquoThe Ethiopians

The people here peculiarly described are the Ethiopians and the prophet prophesies the effect on Ethiopia of the judgment concerning Assyria which Jehovah executes as Drechsler has

convincingly proved and as is now universally recognised (F Delitzsch)

Ethiopia

What land is it of which the prophet speaks It is no doubt Ethiopia itself a great kingdom in the olden time For although he says ldquobeyond the rivers of Ethiopiardquo that is the Blue Nile and the White Nile and the Astaboras the meaning is perhaps more accurately ldquobesiderdquo those rivers In any event the ancient land of Ethiopia reached out to the south far beyond the confluence of those rivers in the mighty Nile including probably all upper Egypt beyond Philae Nubia and the northern portion of modern Abyssinia It was a fertile country very rich in gold ivory ebony frankincense and precious stones A country thickly inhabited by a stalwart well-formed race ldquomen of staturerdquo the prophet calls them who if they were black were yet comely It was a mighty kingdom for many centuries a rival of Egypt sometimes its enemy and apparently even its conqueror a kingdom able to make war against the Assyrians and a kingdom too carrying on a great trade by means of abundant merchandise with many people (A Ritchie)

ldquoThe land shadowing with wingsrdquo

1 Full of poetic suggestion is the expression ldquoshadowing with wingsrdquo The thought is of tender protection as the mother bird hovers over and shields her young The Psalmist is never tired of crying out to God ldquoHide me under the covering of Thy wingsrdquo It was right that Israel and Judah should cry thus to Jehovah for protection but not that they should look to the shadowing wings of Ethiopia Just as it was pathetically true that in later times our Lord should say of the Holy City ldquoO Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thy children together even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would notrdquomdashso seven hundred years earlier it was true that Judah would not seek refuge under the wings of the Lord but under the shadowing of Egypt and the covering of Ethiopia

2 In the Revised Version we have the passage rendered ldquoAh the land of the rustling of wingsrdquo Some of the old commentators find in this an allusion to the multitude of bees and the swarms of flies in Ethiopia so that there the hum of wings was never absent More picturesque is another suggestion that the reference is to the ever plashing waters of the rivers hurrying along with swift current in rapids and through cataracts until the broad bosom of father Nile was reached The swish and lapping of the rushing waters seemed to the poet like the noise made by the swift flight of many birds beating the air with strong pinions as they sweep on towards the horizon

3 If we turn to the Septuagint the Greek Old Testament we read the text thus ldquoWoe to you ye wings of the land of shipsrdquo What are the wings of the land of ships but the many sails whereby those ships flit hither and thither One sees before him a new picture The graceful dahabiehs with their long yards and triangular sails dotting the water everywhere and naturally suggesting great sea birds with outspread wings shining in the starlight white and ghostly on the calm surface of the mysterious river which is Egyptrsquos life

4 Some of the more acute Hebrew scholars point out that it is possible to understand the prophetrsquos language in yet another way ldquoWoe to the land where the shadow falleth both waysrdquo that is of course near the Equator where sometimes the shadows stretch out to the south and sometimes to the north according to the time of the year If we understand our text so it is natural to see in it an allusion to the fickleness of the Ethiopians a nation which

Judah vainly trusted in since today it would be found an ally and tomorrow an enemy (A Ritchie)

The prophetrsquos charge to the Ethiopian ambassadors

Ethiopia (Hebrews ldquoCushrdquo) corresponds generally to the modern Soudan (ie the blacks) Egypt and Ethiopia were at this time ruled by Tirkakah (704-685) His ambassadors are in Jerusalem offering an alliance against the Assyrian and the prophet sends them back to their people with the words ldquoGo ye swift messengersrdquo etc Jehovah needs no help against His enemies (A BDavidson LL D)

Note

Full stop at ldquowatersrdquo (Isa_182) and omit ldquosayingrdquo The prophet speaks ldquoGo ye swift messengers to a nation tall and smooth a nation all-powerful and subduing whose land rivers divide (intersect)rdquo ldquoSmoothrdquo may refer to the glancing bronzed skin of the people (A BDavidson LL D)

Vessels of bulrushes

It is well known that timber proper for building ships was very scarce in Egypt to supply this deficiency the Egyptians used bulrushes or a reed called papyrus of which they made vessels fit for sailing Ships and boats built of this sort of materials being extremely light and drawing very little water were admirably suited to traverse the Nile along the banks of which there were doubtless many morasses and shoals They were also very convenient and easy to be managed at the waterfalls where they might be carried with no great difficulty to smooth water From such circumstances as these we may conclude that they would sail exceeding fast and afford a very speedy conveyance of all kinds of intelligence from one part of the country to another and from Egypt to neighbouring nations In them therefore ambassadors or messengers were often sent to different places with various kinds of information after having received their orders in terms such as these ldquoGo ye swift messengersrdquo (R Macculloch)

They were made for folding together so that they could be carried past the cataracts (F Delitzsch D D)

8 PULPIT ldquoTHE HOMAGE OF ETHIOPIA TO JEHOVAH Amid the general excitement caused by the

advance of Assyria Ethiopia also is stirred and stirred to its furthest limits The king sends messengers in

beats upon the canals and rivers to summon his troops to his standard (Isa_181 Isa_182) The earth

stands agaze to see the result of the approaching collision (Isa_183) but God rests calmly in heaven

while events are ripening (Isa_184 Isa_185) When the time comes he will strike the blowmdashAssyria will

be given to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field (Isa_186) Then Ethiopia will make an act of

homage to Jehovah by the sending of a present to Jerusalem (Isa_187) The time seems to be that

immediately preceding the great invasion of Sennacherib when Shabatok the Ethiopian was King of

Egypt and Tirhakah (Tahark) either Crown Prince under him or more probably Lord Paramount of Egypt

over him and reigning at Napata

Isa_181

Woe to the land rather Ho for the land (comp Isa_1712) Shadowing with wings literally either the

land of the shadow of wings or the land of the noise of wings most probably the latter Allusion is thought

to be made to the swarms of buzzing flies especially the tsetse with which Ethiopia abounds At the

same time these swarms are perhaps intended to be taken as emblems of the hosts of warriors which

Ethiopia can send forth (comp Isa_718) Beyond the rivers of Ethiopia The prophet cannot be

supposed to have had more than a vague knowledge of African geography He seems however robe

aware that Ethiopia is a land of many rivers (see Bakers Nile Tributaries) and he assumes that the

dominion of the Ethiopian kings extends even beyond these rivers to the south of them His object is as

Mr Cheyne says to emphasize the greatness of Ethiopia It may be questioned however whether the

dominion of the Ethiopian kings of the time extended so far as he supposed The seat of their power was

Napata now Gebel Berkal in the great bend of the Nile between lat 18deg and 19deg N and its southern limit

was probably Khar-toum and the line of the Blue Nile

9 CALVIN ldquo1Woe to the land I cannot determine with certainty what is the nation of which Isaiah

speaks though he shews plainly that it bordered on Ethiopia Some consider it to refer to the whole of

Egypt but this is a mistake for in the next chapter he treats of Egypt separately from which it is evident

that the people here meant were distinct from the Egyptians Some think that the Troglodytes are here

meant which does not appear to me to be probable for they had no intercourse with other nations

because their language as geographers tell us was hissing and not speech (12) but those who are

mentioned evidently had intercourse and leagues with other nations

Still it is uncertain whether they leagued against the Jews or joined with the Egyptians in driving out the

Assyrians If they were avowed enemies to the Jews Isaiah threatens punishment but if they deceived

them by false promises he shews that nothing is to be expected from them because by idle messages

they will only protract the time However that may be from the neighboring nations to be mentioned in the

next chapter we may in part ascertain where they were situated that is not far from Egypt and Ethiopia

yet some may be disposed to view it as a description of that part of Ethiopia which lay on the sea-coast

for we shall afterwards see that the Assyrians were at war with the king of the Ethiopians (Isa_379)

When he says that that land shadows with wings we learn from it that its sea was well supplied with

harbours so that it had many vessels sailing to it and was wealthy for small and poor states could not

maintain intercourse or traffic with foreign countries He therefore means that they performed many

voyages

(12) ldquo Ethiopian Troglodytesrdquo says Herodotus ldquo the swiftest of foot of all men of whom we have received

any accounts The Troglodytes feed on serpents and lizards and reptiles of that sort and the language

which they have adopted has no resemblance to any other but they screech like bats mdash Herod 4183

FT270 ldquo vessels of bulrushesrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT271 ldquo and peeled or outspread and polishedrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT272 ldquo nation meted out and trodden downrdquo Heb ldquo nation of line and line and treading under footrdquo mdash

Eng Ver

FT273 ldquo nation meted out by line that is utterly subdued Heb Put under line and line to decide what part

of them should be destroyed and what saved by the conquerors In this manner David is described

(2Sa_82) as having dealt with the children of Moab See Lam_28 Such a nation might well deserve to

be calleddrawn out and pilled that is drawn through the fingers (or an instrument) like a willow in order to

be peeled and made fit for wicker workrdquo mdash Stock

FT274 ldquoVidebitisrdquo ldquoVous le verrezrdquo

FT275 ldquo yerdquo ldquo yerdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT276 ldquo I will consider in my dwelling-placerdquo mdash Eng Ver ldquo will rest and look round in my dwelling-placerdquo

mdash Stock

FT277 ldquo a clear heat upon herbsrdquo or ldquo rainrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT278 Like the clear heat at the coming of daylight The resting of Jehovah hovering over the enemy till

they are ripe for destruction is here beautifully compared to the condensed gloom before daylight which

is wont to usher in a hot summerrsquo day and to the sheet of dew that appears to hang over the ground in

harvest time presently after sunset עלי (ălē) is here used for near the time of as we say against such a

time אור עלי (ălēō) prope lucem adventante luce mdash Stock

FT279 Rosenmuuml takes notice of another reading supported by the Septuagint Syriac and Vulgate ביום

the heat of harvestrdquo but justly ldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר בהם at the time of harvestrdquo instead ofldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר

remarks that it makes no difference to the meaning mdash Ed

FT280 ldquo is their dead bodiesrdquo mdash Jarchi

FT281 ldquo quit the metaphor the flourishing leaders of a people devoted by Jehovah to destruction shall be

cut off and trampled on The people here spoken of are the Assyrians under Sennacheribrdquo mdash Stock

10 PULPIT ldquoThe contrast of Divine calm with human bustle hurry and excitement

When men take a matter in hand wherein they feel an interest and set themselves either to carry out a

certain design of their own or to frustrate the designs of others nothing is more remarkable than the

fuss that they make about it Heaven and earth are moved so to speak for the accomplishment of the

desired end the entire nation is excited stirred thrilled to its lowest depths a universal eagerness

prevails all is noise clamor haste bustle tumult whirl confusion Assyrias noise is compared

(Isa_1712) to the roar of the sea and the rushing of mighty waters Ethiopias stir is like the sound of

many wings (Isa_181) Even Cyrus though he has a Divine mission cannot set about it without the

noise of a multitude in the mountains like as of a great people a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of

nations gathered together (Isa_134) It is in vain that men are told to stand still and see the salvation of

God (Exo_1413) or admonished that in quietness and confidence should be their strength

(Isa_3015) they cannot bring themselves to act on the advice tendered Great minds indeed are

comparatively quiet and tranquil but even they are liable upon occasion to be swept away by the

prevailing wave of excited feeling and dragged as it were from their moorings into a turbid ocean And

the mass of mankind is wholly without calm or stability It trembles flutters rushes hither and thither

mistakes activity for energy and fussiness for the power of achievement This condition of things results

from three weaknesses in man

1 His want of patience

2 His want of confidence in himself

3 His want of confidence in God

I MANS WANT OF PATIENCE Man desires to obtain whatever end he sets himself at once The boy is

impatient to be grown up the subaltern would at once be a general the clerk a partner the student a

professor of his science Men make haste to be rich (Pro_2820) and overshoot the mark and fall hack

into poverty They strive to become world-famous when they are mere tyros and put fetch ambitions

writings which only show their ignorance They fail to recognize the force of the proverb that everything

comes to those who wait To toil long to persevere to make a small advance day after daymdashthis seems

to them a poor thing an unsatisfactory mode of procedure They would reach the end per saltum by a

bound Hence their haste Too often most haste is worst speed Vaulting ambition cloth oer leap itself

and falls on the other side

II MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IN HIMSELF He who is sure of himself can afford to wait He knows

that he will succeed in the end what matters whether a little sooner or a little later But the bulk of men

are not sure of themselves they misdoubt their powers capacities perseverance steadiness reserve

fund of energy Hence their spasmodic efforts hurried movements violent agitations frantic rushings

hither and thither If they do not gain their end at once they despair of ever attaining it They are

conscious of infinite weakness in themselves and feel that they cannot tell what a day may bring forth in

the way of defeat and disappointment They say that it is necessary to strike while the iron is hot but their

real reason for haste is that they question whether their ability to strike will not have passed away if they

delay ever so little

III MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IS GOD He who feels that God is on his side has no need to

disquiet himself He will not fear the powers of darkness he will not be afraid of what flesh can do unto

him But comparatively few men have this feeling Either they put the thoughts of God altogether away

from them or they view him as an enemy or they misdoubt at any rate his sympathy with themselves

Mostly they feel that they do not deserve his sympathy They cannot rest in the Lord and they cannot

find rest outside of him Hence they remain in perpetual disturbance and unrest Strangely in contrast with

mans unquiet is Gods immovable calm and unruffled tranquility The Lord said I will take my rest

(Isa_184) None can really resist his will and hence he has no need to trouble himself if resistance is

attempted The fierceness of man will always turn to his praise Time is no object with him who is

above time whose goings have been from the days of eternity (Mic_52) In silence and calm he

accomplishes his everlasting purposes Himself at rest in the still depths of his unchangeable nature it is

he alone who can give his creatures rest As they grow mere like to him they will grow more and more

tranquil until the time comes when they will enter finally into that rest which remaineth for his people

(Heb_49)

11 PULPIT ldquoHomage of Ethiopia to Jehovah

I AGITATION IN ETHIOPIA The oracle opens with a scene full of life Hosts of Egyptian and Ethiopian

warriors are seen like buzzing swarms of flies moving to and fro Messengers are speeding in papyrus

boats to announce the approach of the Assyrians The Ethiopians are described as a nation tall and

polished terrible strong and all-subduing whose land rivers cut through A sense of mystery and

greatness hung about this and from the earliest timesmdashthe land of the source of the Nile opened up by

our countryman Spoke and others The prophet lifts up his voice to this people A signal will be seen on

the mountains the blast of a trumpet will be heard There will be symptoms of the Divine presence

restraining overruling the wrath of men for ends of Divine wisdom When wars are carried on every one

sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the beginning and end of them to chance

On the other hand Isaiah shows that all these things ought to be ascribed to God because he will display

his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he works so as to conceal his hand and to

prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he displays his hand in it in such a manner

that all men are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the prophet meant (Calvin)

II THE WAITING OF JEHOVAH Impressive is the contrast between the noise and stir and agitation

below and the calmness above Jehovah will be stillmdashas the blue sky behind a moving host of clouds

above a surging sea below In the second psalm we have the picture of him sitting in the heavens and

laughing at the vain attempts of the enemies of the Messianic kingdom There are three thoughts here

1 The repose of God It seems as if we must ever contemplate him resting from his toils of designing and

creating and providingmdashentered on an eternal sabbath The consciousness of vast force sleeping held

in reserve we must conceive of in God Hence his stillness amidst our excitement At times when vague

movements are passing through the bosom of society many voices rend the air with opposing cries deep

questions agitate the heart and conscience of thoughtful men We long to hear the one infallible voice to

see the signal extended and yet God speaks not a word Perhaps it may be said a still small voice

saying Be still and know that I am God may be heard by acuter spiritual ears His stillness must be the

effect of infinite strength and profoundest confidence

2 His contemplativeness He looks on in his mansion Not as the Epicureans represented the gods of

the heathen sitting apart reckless of the weal or woe of men but intently watchful of the development of

things the ripening of good the gathering up of evil towards the day of sifting and judgment In a powerful

biblical image his eyes are in every place beholding the good and the evil And our thought to be in

harmony with his must in many matters and at many times fall into the mood of contemplation Instead of

seeking to theorize rashly upon the strange mixture of tendencies life at any troubled epoch presents it

were well to possess our souls in patiencemdashto look on and let both grow together till the harvest

3 His waiting attitude While there is clear heat in sunshine while there are clouds of dew in harvest-

heat he is waiting till the fruit of Assyrian annoyance is all but ripe The heat and the clouds of dew

hasten the powers in nature there are corresponding forces at work in the moral world seen by him to be

working towards certain results God can wait because he knows And may not we in a measure

compose our souls into that attitude of waiting Some things we too know about many others we can

say God knows and so leave them Especially so in times or in moods of alarm In the present case

men below see one picture of the future quite another is seen by God above To them a vast black cloud

is gathering over the horizon he sees the sun that will presently smite it asunder They see a fell harvest

of woe for themselves ripening he has the pruning-knife in his hand with which he will make havoc

among the growth They see an immense host of irresistible warriors he the birds of prey and the beasts

that will soon be feeding upon their remains Let us think of the immense reserves of force at the disposal

of Jehovah The statesman in times of alarm assures a trembling country that the resources of

civilization are not yet exhausted yet they have their limit Behind them lie the absolutely inexhaustible

resources of the living and eternal God Let our hearts be stayed on him and all will be well

III THE EFFECT ON ETHIOPIA They will bring a tribute to Jehovah Sabaoth to the Lord of hosts in his

seat on Mount Zion It is he who has done these things We find the like impressive picture passing

before a prophetic eye in Psa_6832 Kingdoms of splendor come out of Egypt Ethiopia stretches out

her hands to God The gathering of so glorious a people into the true Church is to be the result of the

manifestation of the power of Israels God

LESSONS

1 The providence of God over the Church He shows that he takes care of the Church and that though

he determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their powers In order therefore to excite them to patience

he not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation (Calvin)

2 The indestructibility of the spiritual life This must not be confounded with the institutions in which it

dwells for a time But understanding the Church in the spiritual or mystical sense it cannot perish

Calvin wrote in his day The Church is not far from despair being plundered scattered and everywhere

crushed and trodden underfoot What must be done in straits so numerous and so distressing We ought

to lay hold on these promises so as to believe that God will still preserve the Church The body may be

torn shivered into fragments and scattered still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will

never allow the remembrance and calling on his Name to perish

3 The self-concealment of God The trial of faith in all ages Oh that he would show his face bare his

arm disclose his majesty exert his power appear as Judge to end once for all the strifes of the world

But we must learn to say Gods in his heaven alls right with the world At the proper season he will

come forth If he instantly cut the wicked down and took them away like a sprouting blade of corn his

power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so fully ascertained as when he permits

them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may afterwards fall by their own weight or

like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-knives

4 The unity of religion the prophetic ideal Mount Zion was its ancient symbol for us it is not Rome nor

any other city or mountmdashit is the human heart with all its pathos its faith hope and love its regenerate

life and aspirations it is one spirit universal in mankindmdashJ

12 PULPIT ldquoThe patience of power

The most striking and distinctive truth this chapter contains is that of the patience of Divine power which

permits evil to rise and to mature and which at the right moment effectually intervenes But there are

other points beside this they aremdash

I THE MISDIRECTION OF HUMAN INTELLIGENCE Whatever may be the right translation and the true

application of these verses it is clear that reference is made to a warlike peoplemdasha people terrible to

their neighbors a people of command or treading underfoot aggressive and victorious It shows how

far we have fallen from our first estate and from the condition for which we were created that it does not

strike us as strange that this should be the description of a people that the number of nations whom it

characterizes is so great that we fail to identify the nation which is in the prophets vision Under sin it has

become common not to say natural that a nation should be terrible should be treading down or

crushing and full of commands to its neighbors But to how much better purpose might the strong

peoples of the earth devote their strength God has made rich provision for the peaceable and fruitful

exercise of our largest powers There are rivers and seas (Isa_182) for travelling exploration commerce

there is vegetation (bulrushes papyrus) which may be made to carry mens bodies or which by the

exercise of human ingenuity may be made to convey their thoughts to distant lands and remotest times

there is land and there are seeds there is sunshine and there is dew which can be made to produce

golden harvests that will satisfy mans wants and minister to his most refined tastes (Isa_184 Isa_185)

there are birds and beasts (Isa_186) with whose habits men may become intelligently familiar there is

wealth beneath the soil in precious metals which can not only be raised and collected to enrich the

homes of men but which can be conveyed as the tribute of piety to the house of the Lord (Isa_187)

But despising and neglecting such materials and such ambitions as these nations have aspired to rule

over othersmdashhave perfected themselves in all the arts and enginery of war have congratulated

themselves on nothing so much as in being terrible to those on the other side the river or across the

mountain range

II THE COMPLETENESS OF MANS OVERTHROW IN THE DAY OF DIVINE ANGER The destruction

threatened (Isa_185 Isa_186) probably refers to that of the army of Sennacherib but if the reference be

to some other national calamity it certainly points to an overthrow signal and fearful from which the

imagination turns away oppressed So has it been found both by individual men and nations that when

God arises to judgment their feeble defenses are scattered to the winds and their doom is utterly

irreversible by anything they can do to mend it (see Psa_21-12 6317-20 Psa_926 Psa_929)

III THE LESSON OF GODS JUDGMENTS The result in this case is seen in the bringing of a tribute to

the Lord (Isa_187) If God puts forth his power in overwhelming retribution it is chiefly if not wholly that

they who witness it (men or nations) may repent of their own misdeeds or impiety and may return unto

the Lord in penitence in prayer in consecration for the most acceptable present that can be brought

unto the Lord of hosts is the humbled believing obedient heart

IV THE PATIENCE OF DIVINE POWER (Isa_184) The Lord said I will fake my rest [I will be calm or

still] I will consider in my dwelling-place [I will look on from my habitation] like a clear heat upon herbs

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest God will not be provoked into hurried and impatient judgments

he will retain a Divine composure he will manifest the patience which belongs to conscious power the

heavens should be as still as on the calmest summer day while evil was working to its bitter end while sin

was advancing to its doom Here is a contrast to us and here are lessons for us We in our finite

feebleness are often impatient in spirit and hurried in action We are afraid that if we do not strike at

once we shall not have time to strike at all or that our resources of retribution will fall or that our

adversary will be out of our reach God can entertain no such fear and be affected by no such thought

1 All time is at his command

2 All resources are in his hands

3 The men (nations) whom he may find it needful to chastise can never be beyond the reach of his

power

Hence his calmness in place of our confusion his patience in contrast with our feverish restlessness

(1) Let not the wicked presume on Divine disregard God will put forth his hand in punishment at his own

chosen time

(2) Let not the righteous be surprised or disheartened by his delay he does not count time by our

chronometry he has not the reasons for haste which urge us to immediate action the hour of his merciful

intervention will arrive in timemdashC

2 which sends envoys by sea

in papyrus boats over the water

Go swift messengers

to a people tall and smooth-skinned

to a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by rivers

1BARNES ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors - That is ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send messengers What was the design of their thus sending ambassadors does not appear The prophet simply intimates the fact a fact by which they were well known It may have been for purposes of commerce or to seek protection Bochart renders the word translated lsquoambassadorsrsquo by ldquoimagesrdquo and supposes that it denotes an image of the god Osiris made of the papyrus but there

does not seem to be any reason for this opinion The word ציר tsıyr may mean an idol or image

as in Isa_4516 Psa_4915 But it usually denotes ambassadors or messengers Jos_94 Pro_2513 Pro_1317 Isa_579 Jer_4914 Oba_11

By the sea - What ldquoseardquo is here meant cannot be accurately determined The word lsquosearsquo (ים ya

m) is applied to various collections of water and may be used in reference to a sea a lake a

pond and even a large river It is often applied to the Mediterranean and where the phrase ldquoGreat Seardquo occurs it denotes that Num_346-7 Deu_1124 It is applied to the Lake of Gennesareth or the Sea of Galilee Num_3411 to the Salt Sea Gen_143 to the Red Sea often (Exo_1310 Num_1425 Num_214 Num_3310 ldquoet alrdquo) It is also applied to ldquoa large riverrdquo as ldquoe g the Nilerdquo Isa_195 Neh_38 and to the Euphrates Jer_5136 So far as this ldquowordrdquo is concerned therefore it may denote either the Mediterranean the Red Sea the Nile or the Euphrates If the country spoken of is Upper Egypt or Nubia then we are naturally led to suppose that the prophet refers either to the Nile or the Red Sea

Even in vessels of bulrushes - The word rendered lsquobulrushesrsquo (גמא gome) is derived from

the verb גמא gama ldquoto swallow sip drinkrdquo and is given to a reed or bulrush from its ldquoimbibingrdquo

water It is usually applied in the Scriptures to the Egyptian ldquopapyrusrdquo - a plant which grew on the banks of the Nile and from which we have derived our word ldquopaperrdquo lsquoThis plantrsquo says Taylor (ldquoHeb Conrdquo) lsquogrew in moist places near the Nile and was four or five yards in height Under the bark it consisted wholly of thin skins which being separated and spread out were applied to various uses Of these they made boxes and chests and even boats smearing them over with pitchrsquo These laminoe or skins also served the purpose of paper and were used instead of parchment or plates of lead and copper for writing on This plant the Cyperus Papyrus of modern botanists mostly grew in Lower Egypt in marshy land or in shallow brooks and ponds formed by the inundation of the Nile lsquoThe papyrusrsquo says Pliny lsquogrows in the marsh lands of Egypt or in the stagnant pools left inland by the Nile after it has returned to its bed which have not more than two cubits in depth

The root of the plant is the thickness of a manrsquos arm it has a triangular stalk growing not higher than ten cubits (fifteen feet) and decreasing in breadth toward the summit which is crowned with a thyrsus containing no seeds and of no use except to deck the statues of the gods They employ the roots as firewood and for making various utensils They even construct small boats of the plant and out of the rind sails mats clothes bedding ropes they eat it either crude or cooked swallowing only the juice and when they manufacture paper from it they divide the stem by means of a kind of needle into thin plates or laminae each of which is as large as the plant will admit All the paper is woven upon a table and is continually moistened with Nile water which being thick and slimy furnishes an effectual species of glue In the first place they form upon a table pefectly horizontal a layer the whole length of the papyrus which is crossed by another placed transversely and afterward enclosed within a press

The different sheets are then hung in a situation exposed to the sun in order to dry and the process is finally completed by joining them together beginning with the best There are seldom more than twenty slips or stripes produced from one stem of the plantrsquo (Pliny xiii 11 12) Wilkinson remarks that lsquothe mode of making papyri was this the interior of the stalks of the plant after the rind had been removed was cut into thin slices in the direction of their length and these being laid on a flat board in succession similar slices were placed over them at right angles and their surfaces being cemented together by a sort of glue and subjected to the proper deuce of pressure and well dried the papyrus was completedrsquo (ldquoAncient Egyptiansrdquo vol iii p 148) The word used here is translated lsquobulrushesrsquo in Exo_23 where the little ark is described in which Moses was laid near the Nile the lsquorushrsquo in Job_811 and lsquorushesrsquo in Isa_357

It does not elsewhere occur That the ancients were in the practice of making light boats or vessels from the papyrus is well known Thus Theophrastus (in the ldquoHistory of Plantsrdquo iv 9)

says that lsquothe papyrus is useful for many things for from this they make vesselsrsquo or ships (πλοeα

ploia) Thus Pliny (xiii 11 22) says ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt - lsquofrom the papyrus

they weave vesselsrsquo Again (vi 56 57) lsquoEven nowrsquo says he lsquoin the Britannic Ocean useful vessels are made of bark on the Nile from the papyrus and from reeds and rushesrsquo Plutarch describes Isis going in search of the body of Osiris lsquothrough the fenny country in a bark made of the

papyrus (fνβαριδιπαπυοινη en baridi papnoine) where it is supposed that persons using boats of

this description (fνπαπυρινοιςhκαφεσιπλωοντας en papurinois okaphisi pleontas) are never attacked by crocodiles out of respect to the goddessrsquo (De Isa_181-7) Moses also it will be remembered was exposed on the banks of the Nile in a similar boat or ark lsquoShe took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it With slime and with pitch and put the child thereinrsquo Exo_23

The same word occurs here (גמא gome) which is used by Isaiah and this fact shows that such boats were known as early as the time of Moses Lucan also mentions boats made of the papyrus at Memphis

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro - Phar iv 136

At Memphis boats are woven together from the marshy papyrus

The sculptures of Thebes Memphis and other places abundantly show that they were employed as punts or canoes for fishing in all parts of Egypt during the inundation of the Nilersquo (Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians vol iii p 186) In our own country also it will be remembered the natives were accustomed to make canoes or vessels of the bark of the birch with which they

often adventured on even dangerous navigation The circumstance here mentioned of the גמא go

me (the papyrus) seems to fix the scene of this prophecy to the region of the Nile This reed

grew nowhere else and it is natural therefore to suppose that some nation living near the Nile is intended Taylor the editor of Calmet has shown that the inhabitants of the upper regions of the Nile were accustomed to form floats of hollow earthen vessels and to weave them together with rushes and thus to convey them to Lower Egypt to market He supposes that by lsquovessels of bulrushesrsquo or rush floats are meant such vessels (For a description of the ldquofloatsrdquo made in Upper Egypt with ldquojarsrdquo see Pocockersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo vol i p 84 Ed London 1743) lsquoI first saw in this voyage (on the Nile) the large floats of earthen-ware they are about thirty feet wide and sixty feet long being a frame of palm boughs tied together about four feet deep on which they put a layer of large jars with the mouths uppermost on these they make another floor and then put on another layer of jars and so a third which last are so disposed as to trim the float and leave room for the men to go between The float lies across the river one end being lower down than the other toward the lower end on each side they have four long poles with which they row and direct the boat as well as forward the motion downrsquo Mr Bruce in his ldquoTravelsrdquo mentions vessels made of the papyrus in Abyssinia

Upon the waters - The waters of the Nile or the Red Sea

Saying - This word is not in the Hebrew and the introduction of it by the translators gives a peculiar and probably an incorrect sense to the whole passage As it stands here it would seem to be the language of the inhabitants of the land who sent the ambassadors usually saying to their messengers to go to a distant nation and this introduces an inquiry into the characteristics of the nation to ldquowhomrdquo the ambassadors are sent as if it were a ldquodifferentrdquo people from those who are mentioned in Isa_171 But probably the words which follow are to be regarded as the words of the prophet or of God Isa_174 giving commandment to those messengers to ldquoreturnrdquo to those who sent them and deliver the message which follows lsquoYou send messengers to distant nations in reed boats upon the rivers Return says God to the land which sent you foth and

announce to them the will of God Go rapidly in your light vessels and bear this message for it shall speedily be executed and I will sit calmly and see it donersquo Isa_174-6 A remarkably similar passage which throws great light on this occurs in Eze_309 lsquoIn that day shall messengers go forth from me (God) in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it comethrsquo

Go ye swift messengers - Hebrew lsquoLight messengersrsquo This is evidently addressed to the boats Achilles Tatius says that they were frequently so light and small that they would carry but one person (Rosenmuller)

To a nation - What nation this was is not known The ldquoobviousrdquo import of the passge is that it was some nation to whom they were ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send ambassadors and that it is here added merely as ldquodescriptiverdquo of the people Two or three characterstics of the nation are mentioned from which we may better learn what people are referred to

Scattered - (ממשך memushak) This word is derived from משך mashak ldquoto seize take hold fastrdquo to draw out extend or prolong to make double or strong to spread out The Septuagint

renders it kθνοςmicroετέωρον Ethnos meteoron - lsquoA lofty nationrsquo Chaldee lsquoA people suffering violencersquo Syraic lsquoA nation distortedrsquo Vulgate lsquoA people convulsed and laceratedrsquo It ldquomayrdquo denote a people ldquospread outrdquo over a great extent of country or a people ldquodrawn out in lengthrdquo - that is extended over a country of considerable length but of comparatively narrow breadth as Egypt is so Vitringa understands it Or it may mean a people ldquostrong valiantrdquo so Gesenius understands it This best suits the connection as being a people lsquoterrible hithertorsquo Perhaps all these ideas may be united by the supposition that the nation was drawn out or extended over a large region and was ldquothereforerdquo a powerful or mighty people The idea of its being ldquoscatteredrdquo is not in the text Taylor renders it lsquoA people of short stature contracted in height that is dwarfsrsquo But the idea in the text is not one that is descriptive of ldquoindividualsrdquo but of the ldquocollectedrdquo nation the people

And peeled - (מרט moratʖ from מרט maratʖ) to make smooth or sharpen as a swordrdquo Ezek

2114-32 then to make smooth the head of any one to pluck off his hair Ezr_93 Neh_1325

Isa_506) The Septuagint renders it Ξένονλαpνκαχαλεπόν Cenon laon kai chalepon - lsquoA foreign and wicked peoplersquo Vulgate lsquoTo a people laceratedrsquo The Syriac renders the whole verse lsquoGo swift messengers to a people perverse and torn to a people whose strength has been long since taken away a people defiled and trodden down whose land the rivers have spoiledrsquo The word used here is capable of two significations

(1) It may denote a people who are shaved or made smooth by removing the hair from the body It is known to have been the custom with the Egyptians to make their bodies smooth by shaving off the hair as Herodotus testifies (xi 37) Or

(2) It may be translated as Gesenius proposes a people valiant fierce bold from the sense which the verb has ldquoto sharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115-16

The former is the most obvious interpretation and agrees best with the proper meaning of the Hebrew word the latter would perhaps better suit the connection The editor of Calmer supposes that it is to be taken in the sense of ldquodiminished small dwarfishrdquo and would apply it to the ldquopigmiesrdquo of Upper Egypt

To a people terrible - That is warlike fierce cruel Hebrew lsquoA people fearedrsquo If the Egyptians are meant it may refer to the fact that they had always been an object of terror and alarm to the Israelites from their early oppressions there before their deliverance under Moses

From their beginning hitherto - Hebrew lsquoFrom this time and formerlyrsquo It has been their general character that they were a fierce harsh oppressive nation Gesenius however renders this lsquoTo the formidable nation (and) further beyondrsquo and supposes that two nations are referred

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

convincingly proved and as is now universally recognised (F Delitzsch)

Ethiopia

What land is it of which the prophet speaks It is no doubt Ethiopia itself a great kingdom in the olden time For although he says ldquobeyond the rivers of Ethiopiardquo that is the Blue Nile and the White Nile and the Astaboras the meaning is perhaps more accurately ldquobesiderdquo those rivers In any event the ancient land of Ethiopia reached out to the south far beyond the confluence of those rivers in the mighty Nile including probably all upper Egypt beyond Philae Nubia and the northern portion of modern Abyssinia It was a fertile country very rich in gold ivory ebony frankincense and precious stones A country thickly inhabited by a stalwart well-formed race ldquomen of staturerdquo the prophet calls them who if they were black were yet comely It was a mighty kingdom for many centuries a rival of Egypt sometimes its enemy and apparently even its conqueror a kingdom able to make war against the Assyrians and a kingdom too carrying on a great trade by means of abundant merchandise with many people (A Ritchie)

ldquoThe land shadowing with wingsrdquo

1 Full of poetic suggestion is the expression ldquoshadowing with wingsrdquo The thought is of tender protection as the mother bird hovers over and shields her young The Psalmist is never tired of crying out to God ldquoHide me under the covering of Thy wingsrdquo It was right that Israel and Judah should cry thus to Jehovah for protection but not that they should look to the shadowing wings of Ethiopia Just as it was pathetically true that in later times our Lord should say of the Holy City ldquoO Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thy children together even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would notrdquomdashso seven hundred years earlier it was true that Judah would not seek refuge under the wings of the Lord but under the shadowing of Egypt and the covering of Ethiopia

2 In the Revised Version we have the passage rendered ldquoAh the land of the rustling of wingsrdquo Some of the old commentators find in this an allusion to the multitude of bees and the swarms of flies in Ethiopia so that there the hum of wings was never absent More picturesque is another suggestion that the reference is to the ever plashing waters of the rivers hurrying along with swift current in rapids and through cataracts until the broad bosom of father Nile was reached The swish and lapping of the rushing waters seemed to the poet like the noise made by the swift flight of many birds beating the air with strong pinions as they sweep on towards the horizon

3 If we turn to the Septuagint the Greek Old Testament we read the text thus ldquoWoe to you ye wings of the land of shipsrdquo What are the wings of the land of ships but the many sails whereby those ships flit hither and thither One sees before him a new picture The graceful dahabiehs with their long yards and triangular sails dotting the water everywhere and naturally suggesting great sea birds with outspread wings shining in the starlight white and ghostly on the calm surface of the mysterious river which is Egyptrsquos life

4 Some of the more acute Hebrew scholars point out that it is possible to understand the prophetrsquos language in yet another way ldquoWoe to the land where the shadow falleth both waysrdquo that is of course near the Equator where sometimes the shadows stretch out to the south and sometimes to the north according to the time of the year If we understand our text so it is natural to see in it an allusion to the fickleness of the Ethiopians a nation which

Judah vainly trusted in since today it would be found an ally and tomorrow an enemy (A Ritchie)

The prophetrsquos charge to the Ethiopian ambassadors

Ethiopia (Hebrews ldquoCushrdquo) corresponds generally to the modern Soudan (ie the blacks) Egypt and Ethiopia were at this time ruled by Tirkakah (704-685) His ambassadors are in Jerusalem offering an alliance against the Assyrian and the prophet sends them back to their people with the words ldquoGo ye swift messengersrdquo etc Jehovah needs no help against His enemies (A BDavidson LL D)

Note

Full stop at ldquowatersrdquo (Isa_182) and omit ldquosayingrdquo The prophet speaks ldquoGo ye swift messengers to a nation tall and smooth a nation all-powerful and subduing whose land rivers divide (intersect)rdquo ldquoSmoothrdquo may refer to the glancing bronzed skin of the people (A BDavidson LL D)

Vessels of bulrushes

It is well known that timber proper for building ships was very scarce in Egypt to supply this deficiency the Egyptians used bulrushes or a reed called papyrus of which they made vessels fit for sailing Ships and boats built of this sort of materials being extremely light and drawing very little water were admirably suited to traverse the Nile along the banks of which there were doubtless many morasses and shoals They were also very convenient and easy to be managed at the waterfalls where they might be carried with no great difficulty to smooth water From such circumstances as these we may conclude that they would sail exceeding fast and afford a very speedy conveyance of all kinds of intelligence from one part of the country to another and from Egypt to neighbouring nations In them therefore ambassadors or messengers were often sent to different places with various kinds of information after having received their orders in terms such as these ldquoGo ye swift messengersrdquo (R Macculloch)

They were made for folding together so that they could be carried past the cataracts (F Delitzsch D D)

8 PULPIT ldquoTHE HOMAGE OF ETHIOPIA TO JEHOVAH Amid the general excitement caused by the

advance of Assyria Ethiopia also is stirred and stirred to its furthest limits The king sends messengers in

beats upon the canals and rivers to summon his troops to his standard (Isa_181 Isa_182) The earth

stands agaze to see the result of the approaching collision (Isa_183) but God rests calmly in heaven

while events are ripening (Isa_184 Isa_185) When the time comes he will strike the blowmdashAssyria will

be given to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field (Isa_186) Then Ethiopia will make an act of

homage to Jehovah by the sending of a present to Jerusalem (Isa_187) The time seems to be that

immediately preceding the great invasion of Sennacherib when Shabatok the Ethiopian was King of

Egypt and Tirhakah (Tahark) either Crown Prince under him or more probably Lord Paramount of Egypt

over him and reigning at Napata

Isa_181

Woe to the land rather Ho for the land (comp Isa_1712) Shadowing with wings literally either the

land of the shadow of wings or the land of the noise of wings most probably the latter Allusion is thought

to be made to the swarms of buzzing flies especially the tsetse with which Ethiopia abounds At the

same time these swarms are perhaps intended to be taken as emblems of the hosts of warriors which

Ethiopia can send forth (comp Isa_718) Beyond the rivers of Ethiopia The prophet cannot be

supposed to have had more than a vague knowledge of African geography He seems however robe

aware that Ethiopia is a land of many rivers (see Bakers Nile Tributaries) and he assumes that the

dominion of the Ethiopian kings extends even beyond these rivers to the south of them His object is as

Mr Cheyne says to emphasize the greatness of Ethiopia It may be questioned however whether the

dominion of the Ethiopian kings of the time extended so far as he supposed The seat of their power was

Napata now Gebel Berkal in the great bend of the Nile between lat 18deg and 19deg N and its southern limit

was probably Khar-toum and the line of the Blue Nile

9 CALVIN ldquo1Woe to the land I cannot determine with certainty what is the nation of which Isaiah

speaks though he shews plainly that it bordered on Ethiopia Some consider it to refer to the whole of

Egypt but this is a mistake for in the next chapter he treats of Egypt separately from which it is evident

that the people here meant were distinct from the Egyptians Some think that the Troglodytes are here

meant which does not appear to me to be probable for they had no intercourse with other nations

because their language as geographers tell us was hissing and not speech (12) but those who are

mentioned evidently had intercourse and leagues with other nations

Still it is uncertain whether they leagued against the Jews or joined with the Egyptians in driving out the

Assyrians If they were avowed enemies to the Jews Isaiah threatens punishment but if they deceived

them by false promises he shews that nothing is to be expected from them because by idle messages

they will only protract the time However that may be from the neighboring nations to be mentioned in the

next chapter we may in part ascertain where they were situated that is not far from Egypt and Ethiopia

yet some may be disposed to view it as a description of that part of Ethiopia which lay on the sea-coast

for we shall afterwards see that the Assyrians were at war with the king of the Ethiopians (Isa_379)

When he says that that land shadows with wings we learn from it that its sea was well supplied with

harbours so that it had many vessels sailing to it and was wealthy for small and poor states could not

maintain intercourse or traffic with foreign countries He therefore means that they performed many

voyages

(12) ldquo Ethiopian Troglodytesrdquo says Herodotus ldquo the swiftest of foot of all men of whom we have received

any accounts The Troglodytes feed on serpents and lizards and reptiles of that sort and the language

which they have adopted has no resemblance to any other but they screech like bats mdash Herod 4183

FT270 ldquo vessels of bulrushesrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT271 ldquo and peeled or outspread and polishedrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT272 ldquo nation meted out and trodden downrdquo Heb ldquo nation of line and line and treading under footrdquo mdash

Eng Ver

FT273 ldquo nation meted out by line that is utterly subdued Heb Put under line and line to decide what part

of them should be destroyed and what saved by the conquerors In this manner David is described

(2Sa_82) as having dealt with the children of Moab See Lam_28 Such a nation might well deserve to

be calleddrawn out and pilled that is drawn through the fingers (or an instrument) like a willow in order to

be peeled and made fit for wicker workrdquo mdash Stock

FT274 ldquoVidebitisrdquo ldquoVous le verrezrdquo

FT275 ldquo yerdquo ldquo yerdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT276 ldquo I will consider in my dwelling-placerdquo mdash Eng Ver ldquo will rest and look round in my dwelling-placerdquo

mdash Stock

FT277 ldquo a clear heat upon herbsrdquo or ldquo rainrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT278 Like the clear heat at the coming of daylight The resting of Jehovah hovering over the enemy till

they are ripe for destruction is here beautifully compared to the condensed gloom before daylight which

is wont to usher in a hot summerrsquo day and to the sheet of dew that appears to hang over the ground in

harvest time presently after sunset עלי (ălē) is here used for near the time of as we say against such a

time אור עלי (ălēō) prope lucem adventante luce mdash Stock

FT279 Rosenmuuml takes notice of another reading supported by the Septuagint Syriac and Vulgate ביום

the heat of harvestrdquo but justly ldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר בהם at the time of harvestrdquo instead ofldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר

remarks that it makes no difference to the meaning mdash Ed

FT280 ldquo is their dead bodiesrdquo mdash Jarchi

FT281 ldquo quit the metaphor the flourishing leaders of a people devoted by Jehovah to destruction shall be

cut off and trampled on The people here spoken of are the Assyrians under Sennacheribrdquo mdash Stock

10 PULPIT ldquoThe contrast of Divine calm with human bustle hurry and excitement

When men take a matter in hand wherein they feel an interest and set themselves either to carry out a

certain design of their own or to frustrate the designs of others nothing is more remarkable than the

fuss that they make about it Heaven and earth are moved so to speak for the accomplishment of the

desired end the entire nation is excited stirred thrilled to its lowest depths a universal eagerness

prevails all is noise clamor haste bustle tumult whirl confusion Assyrias noise is compared

(Isa_1712) to the roar of the sea and the rushing of mighty waters Ethiopias stir is like the sound of

many wings (Isa_181) Even Cyrus though he has a Divine mission cannot set about it without the

noise of a multitude in the mountains like as of a great people a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of

nations gathered together (Isa_134) It is in vain that men are told to stand still and see the salvation of

God (Exo_1413) or admonished that in quietness and confidence should be their strength

(Isa_3015) they cannot bring themselves to act on the advice tendered Great minds indeed are

comparatively quiet and tranquil but even they are liable upon occasion to be swept away by the

prevailing wave of excited feeling and dragged as it were from their moorings into a turbid ocean And

the mass of mankind is wholly without calm or stability It trembles flutters rushes hither and thither

mistakes activity for energy and fussiness for the power of achievement This condition of things results

from three weaknesses in man

1 His want of patience

2 His want of confidence in himself

3 His want of confidence in God

I MANS WANT OF PATIENCE Man desires to obtain whatever end he sets himself at once The boy is

impatient to be grown up the subaltern would at once be a general the clerk a partner the student a

professor of his science Men make haste to be rich (Pro_2820) and overshoot the mark and fall hack

into poverty They strive to become world-famous when they are mere tyros and put fetch ambitions

writings which only show their ignorance They fail to recognize the force of the proverb that everything

comes to those who wait To toil long to persevere to make a small advance day after daymdashthis seems

to them a poor thing an unsatisfactory mode of procedure They would reach the end per saltum by a

bound Hence their haste Too often most haste is worst speed Vaulting ambition cloth oer leap itself

and falls on the other side

II MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IN HIMSELF He who is sure of himself can afford to wait He knows

that he will succeed in the end what matters whether a little sooner or a little later But the bulk of men

are not sure of themselves they misdoubt their powers capacities perseverance steadiness reserve

fund of energy Hence their spasmodic efforts hurried movements violent agitations frantic rushings

hither and thither If they do not gain their end at once they despair of ever attaining it They are

conscious of infinite weakness in themselves and feel that they cannot tell what a day may bring forth in

the way of defeat and disappointment They say that it is necessary to strike while the iron is hot but their

real reason for haste is that they question whether their ability to strike will not have passed away if they

delay ever so little

III MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IS GOD He who feels that God is on his side has no need to

disquiet himself He will not fear the powers of darkness he will not be afraid of what flesh can do unto

him But comparatively few men have this feeling Either they put the thoughts of God altogether away

from them or they view him as an enemy or they misdoubt at any rate his sympathy with themselves

Mostly they feel that they do not deserve his sympathy They cannot rest in the Lord and they cannot

find rest outside of him Hence they remain in perpetual disturbance and unrest Strangely in contrast with

mans unquiet is Gods immovable calm and unruffled tranquility The Lord said I will take my rest

(Isa_184) None can really resist his will and hence he has no need to trouble himself if resistance is

attempted The fierceness of man will always turn to his praise Time is no object with him who is

above time whose goings have been from the days of eternity (Mic_52) In silence and calm he

accomplishes his everlasting purposes Himself at rest in the still depths of his unchangeable nature it is

he alone who can give his creatures rest As they grow mere like to him they will grow more and more

tranquil until the time comes when they will enter finally into that rest which remaineth for his people

(Heb_49)

11 PULPIT ldquoHomage of Ethiopia to Jehovah

I AGITATION IN ETHIOPIA The oracle opens with a scene full of life Hosts of Egyptian and Ethiopian

warriors are seen like buzzing swarms of flies moving to and fro Messengers are speeding in papyrus

boats to announce the approach of the Assyrians The Ethiopians are described as a nation tall and

polished terrible strong and all-subduing whose land rivers cut through A sense of mystery and

greatness hung about this and from the earliest timesmdashthe land of the source of the Nile opened up by

our countryman Spoke and others The prophet lifts up his voice to this people A signal will be seen on

the mountains the blast of a trumpet will be heard There will be symptoms of the Divine presence

restraining overruling the wrath of men for ends of Divine wisdom When wars are carried on every one

sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the beginning and end of them to chance

On the other hand Isaiah shows that all these things ought to be ascribed to God because he will display

his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he works so as to conceal his hand and to

prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he displays his hand in it in such a manner

that all men are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the prophet meant (Calvin)

II THE WAITING OF JEHOVAH Impressive is the contrast between the noise and stir and agitation

below and the calmness above Jehovah will be stillmdashas the blue sky behind a moving host of clouds

above a surging sea below In the second psalm we have the picture of him sitting in the heavens and

laughing at the vain attempts of the enemies of the Messianic kingdom There are three thoughts here

1 The repose of God It seems as if we must ever contemplate him resting from his toils of designing and

creating and providingmdashentered on an eternal sabbath The consciousness of vast force sleeping held

in reserve we must conceive of in God Hence his stillness amidst our excitement At times when vague

movements are passing through the bosom of society many voices rend the air with opposing cries deep

questions agitate the heart and conscience of thoughtful men We long to hear the one infallible voice to

see the signal extended and yet God speaks not a word Perhaps it may be said a still small voice

saying Be still and know that I am God may be heard by acuter spiritual ears His stillness must be the

effect of infinite strength and profoundest confidence

2 His contemplativeness He looks on in his mansion Not as the Epicureans represented the gods of

the heathen sitting apart reckless of the weal or woe of men but intently watchful of the development of

things the ripening of good the gathering up of evil towards the day of sifting and judgment In a powerful

biblical image his eyes are in every place beholding the good and the evil And our thought to be in

harmony with his must in many matters and at many times fall into the mood of contemplation Instead of

seeking to theorize rashly upon the strange mixture of tendencies life at any troubled epoch presents it

were well to possess our souls in patiencemdashto look on and let both grow together till the harvest

3 His waiting attitude While there is clear heat in sunshine while there are clouds of dew in harvest-

heat he is waiting till the fruit of Assyrian annoyance is all but ripe The heat and the clouds of dew

hasten the powers in nature there are corresponding forces at work in the moral world seen by him to be

working towards certain results God can wait because he knows And may not we in a measure

compose our souls into that attitude of waiting Some things we too know about many others we can

say God knows and so leave them Especially so in times or in moods of alarm In the present case

men below see one picture of the future quite another is seen by God above To them a vast black cloud

is gathering over the horizon he sees the sun that will presently smite it asunder They see a fell harvest

of woe for themselves ripening he has the pruning-knife in his hand with which he will make havoc

among the growth They see an immense host of irresistible warriors he the birds of prey and the beasts

that will soon be feeding upon their remains Let us think of the immense reserves of force at the disposal

of Jehovah The statesman in times of alarm assures a trembling country that the resources of

civilization are not yet exhausted yet they have their limit Behind them lie the absolutely inexhaustible

resources of the living and eternal God Let our hearts be stayed on him and all will be well

III THE EFFECT ON ETHIOPIA They will bring a tribute to Jehovah Sabaoth to the Lord of hosts in his

seat on Mount Zion It is he who has done these things We find the like impressive picture passing

before a prophetic eye in Psa_6832 Kingdoms of splendor come out of Egypt Ethiopia stretches out

her hands to God The gathering of so glorious a people into the true Church is to be the result of the

manifestation of the power of Israels God

LESSONS

1 The providence of God over the Church He shows that he takes care of the Church and that though

he determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their powers In order therefore to excite them to patience

he not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation (Calvin)

2 The indestructibility of the spiritual life This must not be confounded with the institutions in which it

dwells for a time But understanding the Church in the spiritual or mystical sense it cannot perish

Calvin wrote in his day The Church is not far from despair being plundered scattered and everywhere

crushed and trodden underfoot What must be done in straits so numerous and so distressing We ought

to lay hold on these promises so as to believe that God will still preserve the Church The body may be

torn shivered into fragments and scattered still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will

never allow the remembrance and calling on his Name to perish

3 The self-concealment of God The trial of faith in all ages Oh that he would show his face bare his

arm disclose his majesty exert his power appear as Judge to end once for all the strifes of the world

But we must learn to say Gods in his heaven alls right with the world At the proper season he will

come forth If he instantly cut the wicked down and took them away like a sprouting blade of corn his

power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so fully ascertained as when he permits

them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may afterwards fall by their own weight or

like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-knives

4 The unity of religion the prophetic ideal Mount Zion was its ancient symbol for us it is not Rome nor

any other city or mountmdashit is the human heart with all its pathos its faith hope and love its regenerate

life and aspirations it is one spirit universal in mankindmdashJ

12 PULPIT ldquoThe patience of power

The most striking and distinctive truth this chapter contains is that of the patience of Divine power which

permits evil to rise and to mature and which at the right moment effectually intervenes But there are

other points beside this they aremdash

I THE MISDIRECTION OF HUMAN INTELLIGENCE Whatever may be the right translation and the true

application of these verses it is clear that reference is made to a warlike peoplemdasha people terrible to

their neighbors a people of command or treading underfoot aggressive and victorious It shows how

far we have fallen from our first estate and from the condition for which we were created that it does not

strike us as strange that this should be the description of a people that the number of nations whom it

characterizes is so great that we fail to identify the nation which is in the prophets vision Under sin it has

become common not to say natural that a nation should be terrible should be treading down or

crushing and full of commands to its neighbors But to how much better purpose might the strong

peoples of the earth devote their strength God has made rich provision for the peaceable and fruitful

exercise of our largest powers There are rivers and seas (Isa_182) for travelling exploration commerce

there is vegetation (bulrushes papyrus) which may be made to carry mens bodies or which by the

exercise of human ingenuity may be made to convey their thoughts to distant lands and remotest times

there is land and there are seeds there is sunshine and there is dew which can be made to produce

golden harvests that will satisfy mans wants and minister to his most refined tastes (Isa_184 Isa_185)

there are birds and beasts (Isa_186) with whose habits men may become intelligently familiar there is

wealth beneath the soil in precious metals which can not only be raised and collected to enrich the

homes of men but which can be conveyed as the tribute of piety to the house of the Lord (Isa_187)

But despising and neglecting such materials and such ambitions as these nations have aspired to rule

over othersmdashhave perfected themselves in all the arts and enginery of war have congratulated

themselves on nothing so much as in being terrible to those on the other side the river or across the

mountain range

II THE COMPLETENESS OF MANS OVERTHROW IN THE DAY OF DIVINE ANGER The destruction

threatened (Isa_185 Isa_186) probably refers to that of the army of Sennacherib but if the reference be

to some other national calamity it certainly points to an overthrow signal and fearful from which the

imagination turns away oppressed So has it been found both by individual men and nations that when

God arises to judgment their feeble defenses are scattered to the winds and their doom is utterly

irreversible by anything they can do to mend it (see Psa_21-12 6317-20 Psa_926 Psa_929)

III THE LESSON OF GODS JUDGMENTS The result in this case is seen in the bringing of a tribute to

the Lord (Isa_187) If God puts forth his power in overwhelming retribution it is chiefly if not wholly that

they who witness it (men or nations) may repent of their own misdeeds or impiety and may return unto

the Lord in penitence in prayer in consecration for the most acceptable present that can be brought

unto the Lord of hosts is the humbled believing obedient heart

IV THE PATIENCE OF DIVINE POWER (Isa_184) The Lord said I will fake my rest [I will be calm or

still] I will consider in my dwelling-place [I will look on from my habitation] like a clear heat upon herbs

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest God will not be provoked into hurried and impatient judgments

he will retain a Divine composure he will manifest the patience which belongs to conscious power the

heavens should be as still as on the calmest summer day while evil was working to its bitter end while sin

was advancing to its doom Here is a contrast to us and here are lessons for us We in our finite

feebleness are often impatient in spirit and hurried in action We are afraid that if we do not strike at

once we shall not have time to strike at all or that our resources of retribution will fall or that our

adversary will be out of our reach God can entertain no such fear and be affected by no such thought

1 All time is at his command

2 All resources are in his hands

3 The men (nations) whom he may find it needful to chastise can never be beyond the reach of his

power

Hence his calmness in place of our confusion his patience in contrast with our feverish restlessness

(1) Let not the wicked presume on Divine disregard God will put forth his hand in punishment at his own

chosen time

(2) Let not the righteous be surprised or disheartened by his delay he does not count time by our

chronometry he has not the reasons for haste which urge us to immediate action the hour of his merciful

intervention will arrive in timemdashC

2 which sends envoys by sea

in papyrus boats over the water

Go swift messengers

to a people tall and smooth-skinned

to a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by rivers

1BARNES ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors - That is ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send messengers What was the design of their thus sending ambassadors does not appear The prophet simply intimates the fact a fact by which they were well known It may have been for purposes of commerce or to seek protection Bochart renders the word translated lsquoambassadorsrsquo by ldquoimagesrdquo and supposes that it denotes an image of the god Osiris made of the papyrus but there

does not seem to be any reason for this opinion The word ציר tsıyr may mean an idol or image

as in Isa_4516 Psa_4915 But it usually denotes ambassadors or messengers Jos_94 Pro_2513 Pro_1317 Isa_579 Jer_4914 Oba_11

By the sea - What ldquoseardquo is here meant cannot be accurately determined The word lsquosearsquo (ים ya

m) is applied to various collections of water and may be used in reference to a sea a lake a

pond and even a large river It is often applied to the Mediterranean and where the phrase ldquoGreat Seardquo occurs it denotes that Num_346-7 Deu_1124 It is applied to the Lake of Gennesareth or the Sea of Galilee Num_3411 to the Salt Sea Gen_143 to the Red Sea often (Exo_1310 Num_1425 Num_214 Num_3310 ldquoet alrdquo) It is also applied to ldquoa large riverrdquo as ldquoe g the Nilerdquo Isa_195 Neh_38 and to the Euphrates Jer_5136 So far as this ldquowordrdquo is concerned therefore it may denote either the Mediterranean the Red Sea the Nile or the Euphrates If the country spoken of is Upper Egypt or Nubia then we are naturally led to suppose that the prophet refers either to the Nile or the Red Sea

Even in vessels of bulrushes - The word rendered lsquobulrushesrsquo (גמא gome) is derived from

the verb גמא gama ldquoto swallow sip drinkrdquo and is given to a reed or bulrush from its ldquoimbibingrdquo

water It is usually applied in the Scriptures to the Egyptian ldquopapyrusrdquo - a plant which grew on the banks of the Nile and from which we have derived our word ldquopaperrdquo lsquoThis plantrsquo says Taylor (ldquoHeb Conrdquo) lsquogrew in moist places near the Nile and was four or five yards in height Under the bark it consisted wholly of thin skins which being separated and spread out were applied to various uses Of these they made boxes and chests and even boats smearing them over with pitchrsquo These laminoe or skins also served the purpose of paper and were used instead of parchment or plates of lead and copper for writing on This plant the Cyperus Papyrus of modern botanists mostly grew in Lower Egypt in marshy land or in shallow brooks and ponds formed by the inundation of the Nile lsquoThe papyrusrsquo says Pliny lsquogrows in the marsh lands of Egypt or in the stagnant pools left inland by the Nile after it has returned to its bed which have not more than two cubits in depth

The root of the plant is the thickness of a manrsquos arm it has a triangular stalk growing not higher than ten cubits (fifteen feet) and decreasing in breadth toward the summit which is crowned with a thyrsus containing no seeds and of no use except to deck the statues of the gods They employ the roots as firewood and for making various utensils They even construct small boats of the plant and out of the rind sails mats clothes bedding ropes they eat it either crude or cooked swallowing only the juice and when they manufacture paper from it they divide the stem by means of a kind of needle into thin plates or laminae each of which is as large as the plant will admit All the paper is woven upon a table and is continually moistened with Nile water which being thick and slimy furnishes an effectual species of glue In the first place they form upon a table pefectly horizontal a layer the whole length of the papyrus which is crossed by another placed transversely and afterward enclosed within a press

The different sheets are then hung in a situation exposed to the sun in order to dry and the process is finally completed by joining them together beginning with the best There are seldom more than twenty slips or stripes produced from one stem of the plantrsquo (Pliny xiii 11 12) Wilkinson remarks that lsquothe mode of making papyri was this the interior of the stalks of the plant after the rind had been removed was cut into thin slices in the direction of their length and these being laid on a flat board in succession similar slices were placed over them at right angles and their surfaces being cemented together by a sort of glue and subjected to the proper deuce of pressure and well dried the papyrus was completedrsquo (ldquoAncient Egyptiansrdquo vol iii p 148) The word used here is translated lsquobulrushesrsquo in Exo_23 where the little ark is described in which Moses was laid near the Nile the lsquorushrsquo in Job_811 and lsquorushesrsquo in Isa_357

It does not elsewhere occur That the ancients were in the practice of making light boats or vessels from the papyrus is well known Thus Theophrastus (in the ldquoHistory of Plantsrdquo iv 9)

says that lsquothe papyrus is useful for many things for from this they make vesselsrsquo or ships (πλοeα

ploia) Thus Pliny (xiii 11 22) says ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt - lsquofrom the papyrus

they weave vesselsrsquo Again (vi 56 57) lsquoEven nowrsquo says he lsquoin the Britannic Ocean useful vessels are made of bark on the Nile from the papyrus and from reeds and rushesrsquo Plutarch describes Isis going in search of the body of Osiris lsquothrough the fenny country in a bark made of the

papyrus (fνβαριδιπαπυοινη en baridi papnoine) where it is supposed that persons using boats of

this description (fνπαπυρινοιςhκαφεσιπλωοντας en papurinois okaphisi pleontas) are never attacked by crocodiles out of respect to the goddessrsquo (De Isa_181-7) Moses also it will be remembered was exposed on the banks of the Nile in a similar boat or ark lsquoShe took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it With slime and with pitch and put the child thereinrsquo Exo_23

The same word occurs here (גמא gome) which is used by Isaiah and this fact shows that such boats were known as early as the time of Moses Lucan also mentions boats made of the papyrus at Memphis

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro - Phar iv 136

At Memphis boats are woven together from the marshy papyrus

The sculptures of Thebes Memphis and other places abundantly show that they were employed as punts or canoes for fishing in all parts of Egypt during the inundation of the Nilersquo (Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians vol iii p 186) In our own country also it will be remembered the natives were accustomed to make canoes or vessels of the bark of the birch with which they

often adventured on even dangerous navigation The circumstance here mentioned of the גמא go

me (the papyrus) seems to fix the scene of this prophecy to the region of the Nile This reed

grew nowhere else and it is natural therefore to suppose that some nation living near the Nile is intended Taylor the editor of Calmet has shown that the inhabitants of the upper regions of the Nile were accustomed to form floats of hollow earthen vessels and to weave them together with rushes and thus to convey them to Lower Egypt to market He supposes that by lsquovessels of bulrushesrsquo or rush floats are meant such vessels (For a description of the ldquofloatsrdquo made in Upper Egypt with ldquojarsrdquo see Pocockersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo vol i p 84 Ed London 1743) lsquoI first saw in this voyage (on the Nile) the large floats of earthen-ware they are about thirty feet wide and sixty feet long being a frame of palm boughs tied together about four feet deep on which they put a layer of large jars with the mouths uppermost on these they make another floor and then put on another layer of jars and so a third which last are so disposed as to trim the float and leave room for the men to go between The float lies across the river one end being lower down than the other toward the lower end on each side they have four long poles with which they row and direct the boat as well as forward the motion downrsquo Mr Bruce in his ldquoTravelsrdquo mentions vessels made of the papyrus in Abyssinia

Upon the waters - The waters of the Nile or the Red Sea

Saying - This word is not in the Hebrew and the introduction of it by the translators gives a peculiar and probably an incorrect sense to the whole passage As it stands here it would seem to be the language of the inhabitants of the land who sent the ambassadors usually saying to their messengers to go to a distant nation and this introduces an inquiry into the characteristics of the nation to ldquowhomrdquo the ambassadors are sent as if it were a ldquodifferentrdquo people from those who are mentioned in Isa_171 But probably the words which follow are to be regarded as the words of the prophet or of God Isa_174 giving commandment to those messengers to ldquoreturnrdquo to those who sent them and deliver the message which follows lsquoYou send messengers to distant nations in reed boats upon the rivers Return says God to the land which sent you foth and

announce to them the will of God Go rapidly in your light vessels and bear this message for it shall speedily be executed and I will sit calmly and see it donersquo Isa_174-6 A remarkably similar passage which throws great light on this occurs in Eze_309 lsquoIn that day shall messengers go forth from me (God) in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it comethrsquo

Go ye swift messengers - Hebrew lsquoLight messengersrsquo This is evidently addressed to the boats Achilles Tatius says that they were frequently so light and small that they would carry but one person (Rosenmuller)

To a nation - What nation this was is not known The ldquoobviousrdquo import of the passge is that it was some nation to whom they were ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send ambassadors and that it is here added merely as ldquodescriptiverdquo of the people Two or three characterstics of the nation are mentioned from which we may better learn what people are referred to

Scattered - (ממשך memushak) This word is derived from משך mashak ldquoto seize take hold fastrdquo to draw out extend or prolong to make double or strong to spread out The Septuagint

renders it kθνοςmicroετέωρον Ethnos meteoron - lsquoA lofty nationrsquo Chaldee lsquoA people suffering violencersquo Syraic lsquoA nation distortedrsquo Vulgate lsquoA people convulsed and laceratedrsquo It ldquomayrdquo denote a people ldquospread outrdquo over a great extent of country or a people ldquodrawn out in lengthrdquo - that is extended over a country of considerable length but of comparatively narrow breadth as Egypt is so Vitringa understands it Or it may mean a people ldquostrong valiantrdquo so Gesenius understands it This best suits the connection as being a people lsquoterrible hithertorsquo Perhaps all these ideas may be united by the supposition that the nation was drawn out or extended over a large region and was ldquothereforerdquo a powerful or mighty people The idea of its being ldquoscatteredrdquo is not in the text Taylor renders it lsquoA people of short stature contracted in height that is dwarfsrsquo But the idea in the text is not one that is descriptive of ldquoindividualsrdquo but of the ldquocollectedrdquo nation the people

And peeled - (מרט moratʖ from מרט maratʖ) to make smooth or sharpen as a swordrdquo Ezek

2114-32 then to make smooth the head of any one to pluck off his hair Ezr_93 Neh_1325

Isa_506) The Septuagint renders it Ξένονλαpνκαχαλεπόν Cenon laon kai chalepon - lsquoA foreign and wicked peoplersquo Vulgate lsquoTo a people laceratedrsquo The Syriac renders the whole verse lsquoGo swift messengers to a people perverse and torn to a people whose strength has been long since taken away a people defiled and trodden down whose land the rivers have spoiledrsquo The word used here is capable of two significations

(1) It may denote a people who are shaved or made smooth by removing the hair from the body It is known to have been the custom with the Egyptians to make their bodies smooth by shaving off the hair as Herodotus testifies (xi 37) Or

(2) It may be translated as Gesenius proposes a people valiant fierce bold from the sense which the verb has ldquoto sharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115-16

The former is the most obvious interpretation and agrees best with the proper meaning of the Hebrew word the latter would perhaps better suit the connection The editor of Calmer supposes that it is to be taken in the sense of ldquodiminished small dwarfishrdquo and would apply it to the ldquopigmiesrdquo of Upper Egypt

To a people terrible - That is warlike fierce cruel Hebrew lsquoA people fearedrsquo If the Egyptians are meant it may refer to the fact that they had always been an object of terror and alarm to the Israelites from their early oppressions there before their deliverance under Moses

From their beginning hitherto - Hebrew lsquoFrom this time and formerlyrsquo It has been their general character that they were a fierce harsh oppressive nation Gesenius however renders this lsquoTo the formidable nation (and) further beyondrsquo and supposes that two nations are referred

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

Judah vainly trusted in since today it would be found an ally and tomorrow an enemy (A Ritchie)

The prophetrsquos charge to the Ethiopian ambassadors

Ethiopia (Hebrews ldquoCushrdquo) corresponds generally to the modern Soudan (ie the blacks) Egypt and Ethiopia were at this time ruled by Tirkakah (704-685) His ambassadors are in Jerusalem offering an alliance against the Assyrian and the prophet sends them back to their people with the words ldquoGo ye swift messengersrdquo etc Jehovah needs no help against His enemies (A BDavidson LL D)

Note

Full stop at ldquowatersrdquo (Isa_182) and omit ldquosayingrdquo The prophet speaks ldquoGo ye swift messengers to a nation tall and smooth a nation all-powerful and subduing whose land rivers divide (intersect)rdquo ldquoSmoothrdquo may refer to the glancing bronzed skin of the people (A BDavidson LL D)

Vessels of bulrushes

It is well known that timber proper for building ships was very scarce in Egypt to supply this deficiency the Egyptians used bulrushes or a reed called papyrus of which they made vessels fit for sailing Ships and boats built of this sort of materials being extremely light and drawing very little water were admirably suited to traverse the Nile along the banks of which there were doubtless many morasses and shoals They were also very convenient and easy to be managed at the waterfalls where they might be carried with no great difficulty to smooth water From such circumstances as these we may conclude that they would sail exceeding fast and afford a very speedy conveyance of all kinds of intelligence from one part of the country to another and from Egypt to neighbouring nations In them therefore ambassadors or messengers were often sent to different places with various kinds of information after having received their orders in terms such as these ldquoGo ye swift messengersrdquo (R Macculloch)

They were made for folding together so that they could be carried past the cataracts (F Delitzsch D D)

8 PULPIT ldquoTHE HOMAGE OF ETHIOPIA TO JEHOVAH Amid the general excitement caused by the

advance of Assyria Ethiopia also is stirred and stirred to its furthest limits The king sends messengers in

beats upon the canals and rivers to summon his troops to his standard (Isa_181 Isa_182) The earth

stands agaze to see the result of the approaching collision (Isa_183) but God rests calmly in heaven

while events are ripening (Isa_184 Isa_185) When the time comes he will strike the blowmdashAssyria will

be given to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field (Isa_186) Then Ethiopia will make an act of

homage to Jehovah by the sending of a present to Jerusalem (Isa_187) The time seems to be that

immediately preceding the great invasion of Sennacherib when Shabatok the Ethiopian was King of

Egypt and Tirhakah (Tahark) either Crown Prince under him or more probably Lord Paramount of Egypt

over him and reigning at Napata

Isa_181

Woe to the land rather Ho for the land (comp Isa_1712) Shadowing with wings literally either the

land of the shadow of wings or the land of the noise of wings most probably the latter Allusion is thought

to be made to the swarms of buzzing flies especially the tsetse with which Ethiopia abounds At the

same time these swarms are perhaps intended to be taken as emblems of the hosts of warriors which

Ethiopia can send forth (comp Isa_718) Beyond the rivers of Ethiopia The prophet cannot be

supposed to have had more than a vague knowledge of African geography He seems however robe

aware that Ethiopia is a land of many rivers (see Bakers Nile Tributaries) and he assumes that the

dominion of the Ethiopian kings extends even beyond these rivers to the south of them His object is as

Mr Cheyne says to emphasize the greatness of Ethiopia It may be questioned however whether the

dominion of the Ethiopian kings of the time extended so far as he supposed The seat of their power was

Napata now Gebel Berkal in the great bend of the Nile between lat 18deg and 19deg N and its southern limit

was probably Khar-toum and the line of the Blue Nile

9 CALVIN ldquo1Woe to the land I cannot determine with certainty what is the nation of which Isaiah

speaks though he shews plainly that it bordered on Ethiopia Some consider it to refer to the whole of

Egypt but this is a mistake for in the next chapter he treats of Egypt separately from which it is evident

that the people here meant were distinct from the Egyptians Some think that the Troglodytes are here

meant which does not appear to me to be probable for they had no intercourse with other nations

because their language as geographers tell us was hissing and not speech (12) but those who are

mentioned evidently had intercourse and leagues with other nations

Still it is uncertain whether they leagued against the Jews or joined with the Egyptians in driving out the

Assyrians If they were avowed enemies to the Jews Isaiah threatens punishment but if they deceived

them by false promises he shews that nothing is to be expected from them because by idle messages

they will only protract the time However that may be from the neighboring nations to be mentioned in the

next chapter we may in part ascertain where they were situated that is not far from Egypt and Ethiopia

yet some may be disposed to view it as a description of that part of Ethiopia which lay on the sea-coast

for we shall afterwards see that the Assyrians were at war with the king of the Ethiopians (Isa_379)

When he says that that land shadows with wings we learn from it that its sea was well supplied with

harbours so that it had many vessels sailing to it and was wealthy for small and poor states could not

maintain intercourse or traffic with foreign countries He therefore means that they performed many

voyages

(12) ldquo Ethiopian Troglodytesrdquo says Herodotus ldquo the swiftest of foot of all men of whom we have received

any accounts The Troglodytes feed on serpents and lizards and reptiles of that sort and the language

which they have adopted has no resemblance to any other but they screech like bats mdash Herod 4183

FT270 ldquo vessels of bulrushesrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT271 ldquo and peeled or outspread and polishedrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT272 ldquo nation meted out and trodden downrdquo Heb ldquo nation of line and line and treading under footrdquo mdash

Eng Ver

FT273 ldquo nation meted out by line that is utterly subdued Heb Put under line and line to decide what part

of them should be destroyed and what saved by the conquerors In this manner David is described

(2Sa_82) as having dealt with the children of Moab See Lam_28 Such a nation might well deserve to

be calleddrawn out and pilled that is drawn through the fingers (or an instrument) like a willow in order to

be peeled and made fit for wicker workrdquo mdash Stock

FT274 ldquoVidebitisrdquo ldquoVous le verrezrdquo

FT275 ldquo yerdquo ldquo yerdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT276 ldquo I will consider in my dwelling-placerdquo mdash Eng Ver ldquo will rest and look round in my dwelling-placerdquo

mdash Stock

FT277 ldquo a clear heat upon herbsrdquo or ldquo rainrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT278 Like the clear heat at the coming of daylight The resting of Jehovah hovering over the enemy till

they are ripe for destruction is here beautifully compared to the condensed gloom before daylight which

is wont to usher in a hot summerrsquo day and to the sheet of dew that appears to hang over the ground in

harvest time presently after sunset עלי (ălē) is here used for near the time of as we say against such a

time אור עלי (ălēō) prope lucem adventante luce mdash Stock

FT279 Rosenmuuml takes notice of another reading supported by the Septuagint Syriac and Vulgate ביום

the heat of harvestrdquo but justly ldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר בהם at the time of harvestrdquo instead ofldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר

remarks that it makes no difference to the meaning mdash Ed

FT280 ldquo is their dead bodiesrdquo mdash Jarchi

FT281 ldquo quit the metaphor the flourishing leaders of a people devoted by Jehovah to destruction shall be

cut off and trampled on The people here spoken of are the Assyrians under Sennacheribrdquo mdash Stock

10 PULPIT ldquoThe contrast of Divine calm with human bustle hurry and excitement

When men take a matter in hand wherein they feel an interest and set themselves either to carry out a

certain design of their own or to frustrate the designs of others nothing is more remarkable than the

fuss that they make about it Heaven and earth are moved so to speak for the accomplishment of the

desired end the entire nation is excited stirred thrilled to its lowest depths a universal eagerness

prevails all is noise clamor haste bustle tumult whirl confusion Assyrias noise is compared

(Isa_1712) to the roar of the sea and the rushing of mighty waters Ethiopias stir is like the sound of

many wings (Isa_181) Even Cyrus though he has a Divine mission cannot set about it without the

noise of a multitude in the mountains like as of a great people a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of

nations gathered together (Isa_134) It is in vain that men are told to stand still and see the salvation of

God (Exo_1413) or admonished that in quietness and confidence should be their strength

(Isa_3015) they cannot bring themselves to act on the advice tendered Great minds indeed are

comparatively quiet and tranquil but even they are liable upon occasion to be swept away by the

prevailing wave of excited feeling and dragged as it were from their moorings into a turbid ocean And

the mass of mankind is wholly without calm or stability It trembles flutters rushes hither and thither

mistakes activity for energy and fussiness for the power of achievement This condition of things results

from three weaknesses in man

1 His want of patience

2 His want of confidence in himself

3 His want of confidence in God

I MANS WANT OF PATIENCE Man desires to obtain whatever end he sets himself at once The boy is

impatient to be grown up the subaltern would at once be a general the clerk a partner the student a

professor of his science Men make haste to be rich (Pro_2820) and overshoot the mark and fall hack

into poverty They strive to become world-famous when they are mere tyros and put fetch ambitions

writings which only show their ignorance They fail to recognize the force of the proverb that everything

comes to those who wait To toil long to persevere to make a small advance day after daymdashthis seems

to them a poor thing an unsatisfactory mode of procedure They would reach the end per saltum by a

bound Hence their haste Too often most haste is worst speed Vaulting ambition cloth oer leap itself

and falls on the other side

II MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IN HIMSELF He who is sure of himself can afford to wait He knows

that he will succeed in the end what matters whether a little sooner or a little later But the bulk of men

are not sure of themselves they misdoubt their powers capacities perseverance steadiness reserve

fund of energy Hence their spasmodic efforts hurried movements violent agitations frantic rushings

hither and thither If they do not gain their end at once they despair of ever attaining it They are

conscious of infinite weakness in themselves and feel that they cannot tell what a day may bring forth in

the way of defeat and disappointment They say that it is necessary to strike while the iron is hot but their

real reason for haste is that they question whether their ability to strike will not have passed away if they

delay ever so little

III MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IS GOD He who feels that God is on his side has no need to

disquiet himself He will not fear the powers of darkness he will not be afraid of what flesh can do unto

him But comparatively few men have this feeling Either they put the thoughts of God altogether away

from them or they view him as an enemy or they misdoubt at any rate his sympathy with themselves

Mostly they feel that they do not deserve his sympathy They cannot rest in the Lord and they cannot

find rest outside of him Hence they remain in perpetual disturbance and unrest Strangely in contrast with

mans unquiet is Gods immovable calm and unruffled tranquility The Lord said I will take my rest

(Isa_184) None can really resist his will and hence he has no need to trouble himself if resistance is

attempted The fierceness of man will always turn to his praise Time is no object with him who is

above time whose goings have been from the days of eternity (Mic_52) In silence and calm he

accomplishes his everlasting purposes Himself at rest in the still depths of his unchangeable nature it is

he alone who can give his creatures rest As they grow mere like to him they will grow more and more

tranquil until the time comes when they will enter finally into that rest which remaineth for his people

(Heb_49)

11 PULPIT ldquoHomage of Ethiopia to Jehovah

I AGITATION IN ETHIOPIA The oracle opens with a scene full of life Hosts of Egyptian and Ethiopian

warriors are seen like buzzing swarms of flies moving to and fro Messengers are speeding in papyrus

boats to announce the approach of the Assyrians The Ethiopians are described as a nation tall and

polished terrible strong and all-subduing whose land rivers cut through A sense of mystery and

greatness hung about this and from the earliest timesmdashthe land of the source of the Nile opened up by

our countryman Spoke and others The prophet lifts up his voice to this people A signal will be seen on

the mountains the blast of a trumpet will be heard There will be symptoms of the Divine presence

restraining overruling the wrath of men for ends of Divine wisdom When wars are carried on every one

sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the beginning and end of them to chance

On the other hand Isaiah shows that all these things ought to be ascribed to God because he will display

his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he works so as to conceal his hand and to

prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he displays his hand in it in such a manner

that all men are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the prophet meant (Calvin)

II THE WAITING OF JEHOVAH Impressive is the contrast between the noise and stir and agitation

below and the calmness above Jehovah will be stillmdashas the blue sky behind a moving host of clouds

above a surging sea below In the second psalm we have the picture of him sitting in the heavens and

laughing at the vain attempts of the enemies of the Messianic kingdom There are three thoughts here

1 The repose of God It seems as if we must ever contemplate him resting from his toils of designing and

creating and providingmdashentered on an eternal sabbath The consciousness of vast force sleeping held

in reserve we must conceive of in God Hence his stillness amidst our excitement At times when vague

movements are passing through the bosom of society many voices rend the air with opposing cries deep

questions agitate the heart and conscience of thoughtful men We long to hear the one infallible voice to

see the signal extended and yet God speaks not a word Perhaps it may be said a still small voice

saying Be still and know that I am God may be heard by acuter spiritual ears His stillness must be the

effect of infinite strength and profoundest confidence

2 His contemplativeness He looks on in his mansion Not as the Epicureans represented the gods of

the heathen sitting apart reckless of the weal or woe of men but intently watchful of the development of

things the ripening of good the gathering up of evil towards the day of sifting and judgment In a powerful

biblical image his eyes are in every place beholding the good and the evil And our thought to be in

harmony with his must in many matters and at many times fall into the mood of contemplation Instead of

seeking to theorize rashly upon the strange mixture of tendencies life at any troubled epoch presents it

were well to possess our souls in patiencemdashto look on and let both grow together till the harvest

3 His waiting attitude While there is clear heat in sunshine while there are clouds of dew in harvest-

heat he is waiting till the fruit of Assyrian annoyance is all but ripe The heat and the clouds of dew

hasten the powers in nature there are corresponding forces at work in the moral world seen by him to be

working towards certain results God can wait because he knows And may not we in a measure

compose our souls into that attitude of waiting Some things we too know about many others we can

say God knows and so leave them Especially so in times or in moods of alarm In the present case

men below see one picture of the future quite another is seen by God above To them a vast black cloud

is gathering over the horizon he sees the sun that will presently smite it asunder They see a fell harvest

of woe for themselves ripening he has the pruning-knife in his hand with which he will make havoc

among the growth They see an immense host of irresistible warriors he the birds of prey and the beasts

that will soon be feeding upon their remains Let us think of the immense reserves of force at the disposal

of Jehovah The statesman in times of alarm assures a trembling country that the resources of

civilization are not yet exhausted yet they have their limit Behind them lie the absolutely inexhaustible

resources of the living and eternal God Let our hearts be stayed on him and all will be well

III THE EFFECT ON ETHIOPIA They will bring a tribute to Jehovah Sabaoth to the Lord of hosts in his

seat on Mount Zion It is he who has done these things We find the like impressive picture passing

before a prophetic eye in Psa_6832 Kingdoms of splendor come out of Egypt Ethiopia stretches out

her hands to God The gathering of so glorious a people into the true Church is to be the result of the

manifestation of the power of Israels God

LESSONS

1 The providence of God over the Church He shows that he takes care of the Church and that though

he determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their powers In order therefore to excite them to patience

he not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation (Calvin)

2 The indestructibility of the spiritual life This must not be confounded with the institutions in which it

dwells for a time But understanding the Church in the spiritual or mystical sense it cannot perish

Calvin wrote in his day The Church is not far from despair being plundered scattered and everywhere

crushed and trodden underfoot What must be done in straits so numerous and so distressing We ought

to lay hold on these promises so as to believe that God will still preserve the Church The body may be

torn shivered into fragments and scattered still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will

never allow the remembrance and calling on his Name to perish

3 The self-concealment of God The trial of faith in all ages Oh that he would show his face bare his

arm disclose his majesty exert his power appear as Judge to end once for all the strifes of the world

But we must learn to say Gods in his heaven alls right with the world At the proper season he will

come forth If he instantly cut the wicked down and took them away like a sprouting blade of corn his

power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so fully ascertained as when he permits

them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may afterwards fall by their own weight or

like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-knives

4 The unity of religion the prophetic ideal Mount Zion was its ancient symbol for us it is not Rome nor

any other city or mountmdashit is the human heart with all its pathos its faith hope and love its regenerate

life and aspirations it is one spirit universal in mankindmdashJ

12 PULPIT ldquoThe patience of power

The most striking and distinctive truth this chapter contains is that of the patience of Divine power which

permits evil to rise and to mature and which at the right moment effectually intervenes But there are

other points beside this they aremdash

I THE MISDIRECTION OF HUMAN INTELLIGENCE Whatever may be the right translation and the true

application of these verses it is clear that reference is made to a warlike peoplemdasha people terrible to

their neighbors a people of command or treading underfoot aggressive and victorious It shows how

far we have fallen from our first estate and from the condition for which we were created that it does not

strike us as strange that this should be the description of a people that the number of nations whom it

characterizes is so great that we fail to identify the nation which is in the prophets vision Under sin it has

become common not to say natural that a nation should be terrible should be treading down or

crushing and full of commands to its neighbors But to how much better purpose might the strong

peoples of the earth devote their strength God has made rich provision for the peaceable and fruitful

exercise of our largest powers There are rivers and seas (Isa_182) for travelling exploration commerce

there is vegetation (bulrushes papyrus) which may be made to carry mens bodies or which by the

exercise of human ingenuity may be made to convey their thoughts to distant lands and remotest times

there is land and there are seeds there is sunshine and there is dew which can be made to produce

golden harvests that will satisfy mans wants and minister to his most refined tastes (Isa_184 Isa_185)

there are birds and beasts (Isa_186) with whose habits men may become intelligently familiar there is

wealth beneath the soil in precious metals which can not only be raised and collected to enrich the

homes of men but which can be conveyed as the tribute of piety to the house of the Lord (Isa_187)

But despising and neglecting such materials and such ambitions as these nations have aspired to rule

over othersmdashhave perfected themselves in all the arts and enginery of war have congratulated

themselves on nothing so much as in being terrible to those on the other side the river or across the

mountain range

II THE COMPLETENESS OF MANS OVERTHROW IN THE DAY OF DIVINE ANGER The destruction

threatened (Isa_185 Isa_186) probably refers to that of the army of Sennacherib but if the reference be

to some other national calamity it certainly points to an overthrow signal and fearful from which the

imagination turns away oppressed So has it been found both by individual men and nations that when

God arises to judgment their feeble defenses are scattered to the winds and their doom is utterly

irreversible by anything they can do to mend it (see Psa_21-12 6317-20 Psa_926 Psa_929)

III THE LESSON OF GODS JUDGMENTS The result in this case is seen in the bringing of a tribute to

the Lord (Isa_187) If God puts forth his power in overwhelming retribution it is chiefly if not wholly that

they who witness it (men or nations) may repent of their own misdeeds or impiety and may return unto

the Lord in penitence in prayer in consecration for the most acceptable present that can be brought

unto the Lord of hosts is the humbled believing obedient heart

IV THE PATIENCE OF DIVINE POWER (Isa_184) The Lord said I will fake my rest [I will be calm or

still] I will consider in my dwelling-place [I will look on from my habitation] like a clear heat upon herbs

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest God will not be provoked into hurried and impatient judgments

he will retain a Divine composure he will manifest the patience which belongs to conscious power the

heavens should be as still as on the calmest summer day while evil was working to its bitter end while sin

was advancing to its doom Here is a contrast to us and here are lessons for us We in our finite

feebleness are often impatient in spirit and hurried in action We are afraid that if we do not strike at

once we shall not have time to strike at all or that our resources of retribution will fall or that our

adversary will be out of our reach God can entertain no such fear and be affected by no such thought

1 All time is at his command

2 All resources are in his hands

3 The men (nations) whom he may find it needful to chastise can never be beyond the reach of his

power

Hence his calmness in place of our confusion his patience in contrast with our feverish restlessness

(1) Let not the wicked presume on Divine disregard God will put forth his hand in punishment at his own

chosen time

(2) Let not the righteous be surprised or disheartened by his delay he does not count time by our

chronometry he has not the reasons for haste which urge us to immediate action the hour of his merciful

intervention will arrive in timemdashC

2 which sends envoys by sea

in papyrus boats over the water

Go swift messengers

to a people tall and smooth-skinned

to a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by rivers

1BARNES ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors - That is ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send messengers What was the design of their thus sending ambassadors does not appear The prophet simply intimates the fact a fact by which they were well known It may have been for purposes of commerce or to seek protection Bochart renders the word translated lsquoambassadorsrsquo by ldquoimagesrdquo and supposes that it denotes an image of the god Osiris made of the papyrus but there

does not seem to be any reason for this opinion The word ציר tsıyr may mean an idol or image

as in Isa_4516 Psa_4915 But it usually denotes ambassadors or messengers Jos_94 Pro_2513 Pro_1317 Isa_579 Jer_4914 Oba_11

By the sea - What ldquoseardquo is here meant cannot be accurately determined The word lsquosearsquo (ים ya

m) is applied to various collections of water and may be used in reference to a sea a lake a

pond and even a large river It is often applied to the Mediterranean and where the phrase ldquoGreat Seardquo occurs it denotes that Num_346-7 Deu_1124 It is applied to the Lake of Gennesareth or the Sea of Galilee Num_3411 to the Salt Sea Gen_143 to the Red Sea often (Exo_1310 Num_1425 Num_214 Num_3310 ldquoet alrdquo) It is also applied to ldquoa large riverrdquo as ldquoe g the Nilerdquo Isa_195 Neh_38 and to the Euphrates Jer_5136 So far as this ldquowordrdquo is concerned therefore it may denote either the Mediterranean the Red Sea the Nile or the Euphrates If the country spoken of is Upper Egypt or Nubia then we are naturally led to suppose that the prophet refers either to the Nile or the Red Sea

Even in vessels of bulrushes - The word rendered lsquobulrushesrsquo (גמא gome) is derived from

the verb גמא gama ldquoto swallow sip drinkrdquo and is given to a reed or bulrush from its ldquoimbibingrdquo

water It is usually applied in the Scriptures to the Egyptian ldquopapyrusrdquo - a plant which grew on the banks of the Nile and from which we have derived our word ldquopaperrdquo lsquoThis plantrsquo says Taylor (ldquoHeb Conrdquo) lsquogrew in moist places near the Nile and was four or five yards in height Under the bark it consisted wholly of thin skins which being separated and spread out were applied to various uses Of these they made boxes and chests and even boats smearing them over with pitchrsquo These laminoe or skins also served the purpose of paper and were used instead of parchment or plates of lead and copper for writing on This plant the Cyperus Papyrus of modern botanists mostly grew in Lower Egypt in marshy land or in shallow brooks and ponds formed by the inundation of the Nile lsquoThe papyrusrsquo says Pliny lsquogrows in the marsh lands of Egypt or in the stagnant pools left inland by the Nile after it has returned to its bed which have not more than two cubits in depth

The root of the plant is the thickness of a manrsquos arm it has a triangular stalk growing not higher than ten cubits (fifteen feet) and decreasing in breadth toward the summit which is crowned with a thyrsus containing no seeds and of no use except to deck the statues of the gods They employ the roots as firewood and for making various utensils They even construct small boats of the plant and out of the rind sails mats clothes bedding ropes they eat it either crude or cooked swallowing only the juice and when they manufacture paper from it they divide the stem by means of a kind of needle into thin plates or laminae each of which is as large as the plant will admit All the paper is woven upon a table and is continually moistened with Nile water which being thick and slimy furnishes an effectual species of glue In the first place they form upon a table pefectly horizontal a layer the whole length of the papyrus which is crossed by another placed transversely and afterward enclosed within a press

The different sheets are then hung in a situation exposed to the sun in order to dry and the process is finally completed by joining them together beginning with the best There are seldom more than twenty slips or stripes produced from one stem of the plantrsquo (Pliny xiii 11 12) Wilkinson remarks that lsquothe mode of making papyri was this the interior of the stalks of the plant after the rind had been removed was cut into thin slices in the direction of their length and these being laid on a flat board in succession similar slices were placed over them at right angles and their surfaces being cemented together by a sort of glue and subjected to the proper deuce of pressure and well dried the papyrus was completedrsquo (ldquoAncient Egyptiansrdquo vol iii p 148) The word used here is translated lsquobulrushesrsquo in Exo_23 where the little ark is described in which Moses was laid near the Nile the lsquorushrsquo in Job_811 and lsquorushesrsquo in Isa_357

It does not elsewhere occur That the ancients were in the practice of making light boats or vessels from the papyrus is well known Thus Theophrastus (in the ldquoHistory of Plantsrdquo iv 9)

says that lsquothe papyrus is useful for many things for from this they make vesselsrsquo or ships (πλοeα

ploia) Thus Pliny (xiii 11 22) says ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt - lsquofrom the papyrus

they weave vesselsrsquo Again (vi 56 57) lsquoEven nowrsquo says he lsquoin the Britannic Ocean useful vessels are made of bark on the Nile from the papyrus and from reeds and rushesrsquo Plutarch describes Isis going in search of the body of Osiris lsquothrough the fenny country in a bark made of the

papyrus (fνβαριδιπαπυοινη en baridi papnoine) where it is supposed that persons using boats of

this description (fνπαπυρινοιςhκαφεσιπλωοντας en papurinois okaphisi pleontas) are never attacked by crocodiles out of respect to the goddessrsquo (De Isa_181-7) Moses also it will be remembered was exposed on the banks of the Nile in a similar boat or ark lsquoShe took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it With slime and with pitch and put the child thereinrsquo Exo_23

The same word occurs here (גמא gome) which is used by Isaiah and this fact shows that such boats were known as early as the time of Moses Lucan also mentions boats made of the papyrus at Memphis

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro - Phar iv 136

At Memphis boats are woven together from the marshy papyrus

The sculptures of Thebes Memphis and other places abundantly show that they were employed as punts or canoes for fishing in all parts of Egypt during the inundation of the Nilersquo (Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians vol iii p 186) In our own country also it will be remembered the natives were accustomed to make canoes or vessels of the bark of the birch with which they

often adventured on even dangerous navigation The circumstance here mentioned of the גמא go

me (the papyrus) seems to fix the scene of this prophecy to the region of the Nile This reed

grew nowhere else and it is natural therefore to suppose that some nation living near the Nile is intended Taylor the editor of Calmet has shown that the inhabitants of the upper regions of the Nile were accustomed to form floats of hollow earthen vessels and to weave them together with rushes and thus to convey them to Lower Egypt to market He supposes that by lsquovessels of bulrushesrsquo or rush floats are meant such vessels (For a description of the ldquofloatsrdquo made in Upper Egypt with ldquojarsrdquo see Pocockersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo vol i p 84 Ed London 1743) lsquoI first saw in this voyage (on the Nile) the large floats of earthen-ware they are about thirty feet wide and sixty feet long being a frame of palm boughs tied together about four feet deep on which they put a layer of large jars with the mouths uppermost on these they make another floor and then put on another layer of jars and so a third which last are so disposed as to trim the float and leave room for the men to go between The float lies across the river one end being lower down than the other toward the lower end on each side they have four long poles with which they row and direct the boat as well as forward the motion downrsquo Mr Bruce in his ldquoTravelsrdquo mentions vessels made of the papyrus in Abyssinia

Upon the waters - The waters of the Nile or the Red Sea

Saying - This word is not in the Hebrew and the introduction of it by the translators gives a peculiar and probably an incorrect sense to the whole passage As it stands here it would seem to be the language of the inhabitants of the land who sent the ambassadors usually saying to their messengers to go to a distant nation and this introduces an inquiry into the characteristics of the nation to ldquowhomrdquo the ambassadors are sent as if it were a ldquodifferentrdquo people from those who are mentioned in Isa_171 But probably the words which follow are to be regarded as the words of the prophet or of God Isa_174 giving commandment to those messengers to ldquoreturnrdquo to those who sent them and deliver the message which follows lsquoYou send messengers to distant nations in reed boats upon the rivers Return says God to the land which sent you foth and

announce to them the will of God Go rapidly in your light vessels and bear this message for it shall speedily be executed and I will sit calmly and see it donersquo Isa_174-6 A remarkably similar passage which throws great light on this occurs in Eze_309 lsquoIn that day shall messengers go forth from me (God) in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it comethrsquo

Go ye swift messengers - Hebrew lsquoLight messengersrsquo This is evidently addressed to the boats Achilles Tatius says that they were frequently so light and small that they would carry but one person (Rosenmuller)

To a nation - What nation this was is not known The ldquoobviousrdquo import of the passge is that it was some nation to whom they were ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send ambassadors and that it is here added merely as ldquodescriptiverdquo of the people Two or three characterstics of the nation are mentioned from which we may better learn what people are referred to

Scattered - (ממשך memushak) This word is derived from משך mashak ldquoto seize take hold fastrdquo to draw out extend or prolong to make double or strong to spread out The Septuagint

renders it kθνοςmicroετέωρον Ethnos meteoron - lsquoA lofty nationrsquo Chaldee lsquoA people suffering violencersquo Syraic lsquoA nation distortedrsquo Vulgate lsquoA people convulsed and laceratedrsquo It ldquomayrdquo denote a people ldquospread outrdquo over a great extent of country or a people ldquodrawn out in lengthrdquo - that is extended over a country of considerable length but of comparatively narrow breadth as Egypt is so Vitringa understands it Or it may mean a people ldquostrong valiantrdquo so Gesenius understands it This best suits the connection as being a people lsquoterrible hithertorsquo Perhaps all these ideas may be united by the supposition that the nation was drawn out or extended over a large region and was ldquothereforerdquo a powerful or mighty people The idea of its being ldquoscatteredrdquo is not in the text Taylor renders it lsquoA people of short stature contracted in height that is dwarfsrsquo But the idea in the text is not one that is descriptive of ldquoindividualsrdquo but of the ldquocollectedrdquo nation the people

And peeled - (מרט moratʖ from מרט maratʖ) to make smooth or sharpen as a swordrdquo Ezek

2114-32 then to make smooth the head of any one to pluck off his hair Ezr_93 Neh_1325

Isa_506) The Septuagint renders it Ξένονλαpνκαχαλεπόν Cenon laon kai chalepon - lsquoA foreign and wicked peoplersquo Vulgate lsquoTo a people laceratedrsquo The Syriac renders the whole verse lsquoGo swift messengers to a people perverse and torn to a people whose strength has been long since taken away a people defiled and trodden down whose land the rivers have spoiledrsquo The word used here is capable of two significations

(1) It may denote a people who are shaved or made smooth by removing the hair from the body It is known to have been the custom with the Egyptians to make their bodies smooth by shaving off the hair as Herodotus testifies (xi 37) Or

(2) It may be translated as Gesenius proposes a people valiant fierce bold from the sense which the verb has ldquoto sharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115-16

The former is the most obvious interpretation and agrees best with the proper meaning of the Hebrew word the latter would perhaps better suit the connection The editor of Calmer supposes that it is to be taken in the sense of ldquodiminished small dwarfishrdquo and would apply it to the ldquopigmiesrdquo of Upper Egypt

To a people terrible - That is warlike fierce cruel Hebrew lsquoA people fearedrsquo If the Egyptians are meant it may refer to the fact that they had always been an object of terror and alarm to the Israelites from their early oppressions there before their deliverance under Moses

From their beginning hitherto - Hebrew lsquoFrom this time and formerlyrsquo It has been their general character that they were a fierce harsh oppressive nation Gesenius however renders this lsquoTo the formidable nation (and) further beyondrsquo and supposes that two nations are referred

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

immediately preceding the great invasion of Sennacherib when Shabatok the Ethiopian was King of

Egypt and Tirhakah (Tahark) either Crown Prince under him or more probably Lord Paramount of Egypt

over him and reigning at Napata

Isa_181

Woe to the land rather Ho for the land (comp Isa_1712) Shadowing with wings literally either the

land of the shadow of wings or the land of the noise of wings most probably the latter Allusion is thought

to be made to the swarms of buzzing flies especially the tsetse with which Ethiopia abounds At the

same time these swarms are perhaps intended to be taken as emblems of the hosts of warriors which

Ethiopia can send forth (comp Isa_718) Beyond the rivers of Ethiopia The prophet cannot be

supposed to have had more than a vague knowledge of African geography He seems however robe

aware that Ethiopia is a land of many rivers (see Bakers Nile Tributaries) and he assumes that the

dominion of the Ethiopian kings extends even beyond these rivers to the south of them His object is as

Mr Cheyne says to emphasize the greatness of Ethiopia It may be questioned however whether the

dominion of the Ethiopian kings of the time extended so far as he supposed The seat of their power was

Napata now Gebel Berkal in the great bend of the Nile between lat 18deg and 19deg N and its southern limit

was probably Khar-toum and the line of the Blue Nile

9 CALVIN ldquo1Woe to the land I cannot determine with certainty what is the nation of which Isaiah

speaks though he shews plainly that it bordered on Ethiopia Some consider it to refer to the whole of

Egypt but this is a mistake for in the next chapter he treats of Egypt separately from which it is evident

that the people here meant were distinct from the Egyptians Some think that the Troglodytes are here

meant which does not appear to me to be probable for they had no intercourse with other nations

because their language as geographers tell us was hissing and not speech (12) but those who are

mentioned evidently had intercourse and leagues with other nations

Still it is uncertain whether they leagued against the Jews or joined with the Egyptians in driving out the

Assyrians If they were avowed enemies to the Jews Isaiah threatens punishment but if they deceived

them by false promises he shews that nothing is to be expected from them because by idle messages

they will only protract the time However that may be from the neighboring nations to be mentioned in the

next chapter we may in part ascertain where they were situated that is not far from Egypt and Ethiopia

yet some may be disposed to view it as a description of that part of Ethiopia which lay on the sea-coast

for we shall afterwards see that the Assyrians were at war with the king of the Ethiopians (Isa_379)

When he says that that land shadows with wings we learn from it that its sea was well supplied with

harbours so that it had many vessels sailing to it and was wealthy for small and poor states could not

maintain intercourse or traffic with foreign countries He therefore means that they performed many

voyages

(12) ldquo Ethiopian Troglodytesrdquo says Herodotus ldquo the swiftest of foot of all men of whom we have received

any accounts The Troglodytes feed on serpents and lizards and reptiles of that sort and the language

which they have adopted has no resemblance to any other but they screech like bats mdash Herod 4183

FT270 ldquo vessels of bulrushesrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT271 ldquo and peeled or outspread and polishedrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT272 ldquo nation meted out and trodden downrdquo Heb ldquo nation of line and line and treading under footrdquo mdash

Eng Ver

FT273 ldquo nation meted out by line that is utterly subdued Heb Put under line and line to decide what part

of them should be destroyed and what saved by the conquerors In this manner David is described

(2Sa_82) as having dealt with the children of Moab See Lam_28 Such a nation might well deserve to

be calleddrawn out and pilled that is drawn through the fingers (or an instrument) like a willow in order to

be peeled and made fit for wicker workrdquo mdash Stock

FT274 ldquoVidebitisrdquo ldquoVous le verrezrdquo

FT275 ldquo yerdquo ldquo yerdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT276 ldquo I will consider in my dwelling-placerdquo mdash Eng Ver ldquo will rest and look round in my dwelling-placerdquo

mdash Stock

FT277 ldquo a clear heat upon herbsrdquo or ldquo rainrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT278 Like the clear heat at the coming of daylight The resting of Jehovah hovering over the enemy till

they are ripe for destruction is here beautifully compared to the condensed gloom before daylight which

is wont to usher in a hot summerrsquo day and to the sheet of dew that appears to hang over the ground in

harvest time presently after sunset עלי (ălē) is here used for near the time of as we say against such a

time אור עלי (ălēō) prope lucem adventante luce mdash Stock

FT279 Rosenmuuml takes notice of another reading supported by the Septuagint Syriac and Vulgate ביום

the heat of harvestrdquo but justly ldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר בהם at the time of harvestrdquo instead ofldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר

remarks that it makes no difference to the meaning mdash Ed

FT280 ldquo is their dead bodiesrdquo mdash Jarchi

FT281 ldquo quit the metaphor the flourishing leaders of a people devoted by Jehovah to destruction shall be

cut off and trampled on The people here spoken of are the Assyrians under Sennacheribrdquo mdash Stock

10 PULPIT ldquoThe contrast of Divine calm with human bustle hurry and excitement

When men take a matter in hand wherein they feel an interest and set themselves either to carry out a

certain design of their own or to frustrate the designs of others nothing is more remarkable than the

fuss that they make about it Heaven and earth are moved so to speak for the accomplishment of the

desired end the entire nation is excited stirred thrilled to its lowest depths a universal eagerness

prevails all is noise clamor haste bustle tumult whirl confusion Assyrias noise is compared

(Isa_1712) to the roar of the sea and the rushing of mighty waters Ethiopias stir is like the sound of

many wings (Isa_181) Even Cyrus though he has a Divine mission cannot set about it without the

noise of a multitude in the mountains like as of a great people a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of

nations gathered together (Isa_134) It is in vain that men are told to stand still and see the salvation of

God (Exo_1413) or admonished that in quietness and confidence should be their strength

(Isa_3015) they cannot bring themselves to act on the advice tendered Great minds indeed are

comparatively quiet and tranquil but even they are liable upon occasion to be swept away by the

prevailing wave of excited feeling and dragged as it were from their moorings into a turbid ocean And

the mass of mankind is wholly without calm or stability It trembles flutters rushes hither and thither

mistakes activity for energy and fussiness for the power of achievement This condition of things results

from three weaknesses in man

1 His want of patience

2 His want of confidence in himself

3 His want of confidence in God

I MANS WANT OF PATIENCE Man desires to obtain whatever end he sets himself at once The boy is

impatient to be grown up the subaltern would at once be a general the clerk a partner the student a

professor of his science Men make haste to be rich (Pro_2820) and overshoot the mark and fall hack

into poverty They strive to become world-famous when they are mere tyros and put fetch ambitions

writings which only show their ignorance They fail to recognize the force of the proverb that everything

comes to those who wait To toil long to persevere to make a small advance day after daymdashthis seems

to them a poor thing an unsatisfactory mode of procedure They would reach the end per saltum by a

bound Hence their haste Too often most haste is worst speed Vaulting ambition cloth oer leap itself

and falls on the other side

II MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IN HIMSELF He who is sure of himself can afford to wait He knows

that he will succeed in the end what matters whether a little sooner or a little later But the bulk of men

are not sure of themselves they misdoubt their powers capacities perseverance steadiness reserve

fund of energy Hence their spasmodic efforts hurried movements violent agitations frantic rushings

hither and thither If they do not gain their end at once they despair of ever attaining it They are

conscious of infinite weakness in themselves and feel that they cannot tell what a day may bring forth in

the way of defeat and disappointment They say that it is necessary to strike while the iron is hot but their

real reason for haste is that they question whether their ability to strike will not have passed away if they

delay ever so little

III MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IS GOD He who feels that God is on his side has no need to

disquiet himself He will not fear the powers of darkness he will not be afraid of what flesh can do unto

him But comparatively few men have this feeling Either they put the thoughts of God altogether away

from them or they view him as an enemy or they misdoubt at any rate his sympathy with themselves

Mostly they feel that they do not deserve his sympathy They cannot rest in the Lord and they cannot

find rest outside of him Hence they remain in perpetual disturbance and unrest Strangely in contrast with

mans unquiet is Gods immovable calm and unruffled tranquility The Lord said I will take my rest

(Isa_184) None can really resist his will and hence he has no need to trouble himself if resistance is

attempted The fierceness of man will always turn to his praise Time is no object with him who is

above time whose goings have been from the days of eternity (Mic_52) In silence and calm he

accomplishes his everlasting purposes Himself at rest in the still depths of his unchangeable nature it is

he alone who can give his creatures rest As they grow mere like to him they will grow more and more

tranquil until the time comes when they will enter finally into that rest which remaineth for his people

(Heb_49)

11 PULPIT ldquoHomage of Ethiopia to Jehovah

I AGITATION IN ETHIOPIA The oracle opens with a scene full of life Hosts of Egyptian and Ethiopian

warriors are seen like buzzing swarms of flies moving to and fro Messengers are speeding in papyrus

boats to announce the approach of the Assyrians The Ethiopians are described as a nation tall and

polished terrible strong and all-subduing whose land rivers cut through A sense of mystery and

greatness hung about this and from the earliest timesmdashthe land of the source of the Nile opened up by

our countryman Spoke and others The prophet lifts up his voice to this people A signal will be seen on

the mountains the blast of a trumpet will be heard There will be symptoms of the Divine presence

restraining overruling the wrath of men for ends of Divine wisdom When wars are carried on every one

sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the beginning and end of them to chance

On the other hand Isaiah shows that all these things ought to be ascribed to God because he will display

his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he works so as to conceal his hand and to

prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he displays his hand in it in such a manner

that all men are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the prophet meant (Calvin)

II THE WAITING OF JEHOVAH Impressive is the contrast between the noise and stir and agitation

below and the calmness above Jehovah will be stillmdashas the blue sky behind a moving host of clouds

above a surging sea below In the second psalm we have the picture of him sitting in the heavens and

laughing at the vain attempts of the enemies of the Messianic kingdom There are three thoughts here

1 The repose of God It seems as if we must ever contemplate him resting from his toils of designing and

creating and providingmdashentered on an eternal sabbath The consciousness of vast force sleeping held

in reserve we must conceive of in God Hence his stillness amidst our excitement At times when vague

movements are passing through the bosom of society many voices rend the air with opposing cries deep

questions agitate the heart and conscience of thoughtful men We long to hear the one infallible voice to

see the signal extended and yet God speaks not a word Perhaps it may be said a still small voice

saying Be still and know that I am God may be heard by acuter spiritual ears His stillness must be the

effect of infinite strength and profoundest confidence

2 His contemplativeness He looks on in his mansion Not as the Epicureans represented the gods of

the heathen sitting apart reckless of the weal or woe of men but intently watchful of the development of

things the ripening of good the gathering up of evil towards the day of sifting and judgment In a powerful

biblical image his eyes are in every place beholding the good and the evil And our thought to be in

harmony with his must in many matters and at many times fall into the mood of contemplation Instead of

seeking to theorize rashly upon the strange mixture of tendencies life at any troubled epoch presents it

were well to possess our souls in patiencemdashto look on and let both grow together till the harvest

3 His waiting attitude While there is clear heat in sunshine while there are clouds of dew in harvest-

heat he is waiting till the fruit of Assyrian annoyance is all but ripe The heat and the clouds of dew

hasten the powers in nature there are corresponding forces at work in the moral world seen by him to be

working towards certain results God can wait because he knows And may not we in a measure

compose our souls into that attitude of waiting Some things we too know about many others we can

say God knows and so leave them Especially so in times or in moods of alarm In the present case

men below see one picture of the future quite another is seen by God above To them a vast black cloud

is gathering over the horizon he sees the sun that will presently smite it asunder They see a fell harvest

of woe for themselves ripening he has the pruning-knife in his hand with which he will make havoc

among the growth They see an immense host of irresistible warriors he the birds of prey and the beasts

that will soon be feeding upon their remains Let us think of the immense reserves of force at the disposal

of Jehovah The statesman in times of alarm assures a trembling country that the resources of

civilization are not yet exhausted yet they have their limit Behind them lie the absolutely inexhaustible

resources of the living and eternal God Let our hearts be stayed on him and all will be well

III THE EFFECT ON ETHIOPIA They will bring a tribute to Jehovah Sabaoth to the Lord of hosts in his

seat on Mount Zion It is he who has done these things We find the like impressive picture passing

before a prophetic eye in Psa_6832 Kingdoms of splendor come out of Egypt Ethiopia stretches out

her hands to God The gathering of so glorious a people into the true Church is to be the result of the

manifestation of the power of Israels God

LESSONS

1 The providence of God over the Church He shows that he takes care of the Church and that though

he determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their powers In order therefore to excite them to patience

he not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation (Calvin)

2 The indestructibility of the spiritual life This must not be confounded with the institutions in which it

dwells for a time But understanding the Church in the spiritual or mystical sense it cannot perish

Calvin wrote in his day The Church is not far from despair being plundered scattered and everywhere

crushed and trodden underfoot What must be done in straits so numerous and so distressing We ought

to lay hold on these promises so as to believe that God will still preserve the Church The body may be

torn shivered into fragments and scattered still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will

never allow the remembrance and calling on his Name to perish

3 The self-concealment of God The trial of faith in all ages Oh that he would show his face bare his

arm disclose his majesty exert his power appear as Judge to end once for all the strifes of the world

But we must learn to say Gods in his heaven alls right with the world At the proper season he will

come forth If he instantly cut the wicked down and took them away like a sprouting blade of corn his

power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so fully ascertained as when he permits

them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may afterwards fall by their own weight or

like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-knives

4 The unity of religion the prophetic ideal Mount Zion was its ancient symbol for us it is not Rome nor

any other city or mountmdashit is the human heart with all its pathos its faith hope and love its regenerate

life and aspirations it is one spirit universal in mankindmdashJ

12 PULPIT ldquoThe patience of power

The most striking and distinctive truth this chapter contains is that of the patience of Divine power which

permits evil to rise and to mature and which at the right moment effectually intervenes But there are

other points beside this they aremdash

I THE MISDIRECTION OF HUMAN INTELLIGENCE Whatever may be the right translation and the true

application of these verses it is clear that reference is made to a warlike peoplemdasha people terrible to

their neighbors a people of command or treading underfoot aggressive and victorious It shows how

far we have fallen from our first estate and from the condition for which we were created that it does not

strike us as strange that this should be the description of a people that the number of nations whom it

characterizes is so great that we fail to identify the nation which is in the prophets vision Under sin it has

become common not to say natural that a nation should be terrible should be treading down or

crushing and full of commands to its neighbors But to how much better purpose might the strong

peoples of the earth devote their strength God has made rich provision for the peaceable and fruitful

exercise of our largest powers There are rivers and seas (Isa_182) for travelling exploration commerce

there is vegetation (bulrushes papyrus) which may be made to carry mens bodies or which by the

exercise of human ingenuity may be made to convey their thoughts to distant lands and remotest times

there is land and there are seeds there is sunshine and there is dew which can be made to produce

golden harvests that will satisfy mans wants and minister to his most refined tastes (Isa_184 Isa_185)

there are birds and beasts (Isa_186) with whose habits men may become intelligently familiar there is

wealth beneath the soil in precious metals which can not only be raised and collected to enrich the

homes of men but which can be conveyed as the tribute of piety to the house of the Lord (Isa_187)

But despising and neglecting such materials and such ambitions as these nations have aspired to rule

over othersmdashhave perfected themselves in all the arts and enginery of war have congratulated

themselves on nothing so much as in being terrible to those on the other side the river or across the

mountain range

II THE COMPLETENESS OF MANS OVERTHROW IN THE DAY OF DIVINE ANGER The destruction

threatened (Isa_185 Isa_186) probably refers to that of the army of Sennacherib but if the reference be

to some other national calamity it certainly points to an overthrow signal and fearful from which the

imagination turns away oppressed So has it been found both by individual men and nations that when

God arises to judgment their feeble defenses are scattered to the winds and their doom is utterly

irreversible by anything they can do to mend it (see Psa_21-12 6317-20 Psa_926 Psa_929)

III THE LESSON OF GODS JUDGMENTS The result in this case is seen in the bringing of a tribute to

the Lord (Isa_187) If God puts forth his power in overwhelming retribution it is chiefly if not wholly that

they who witness it (men or nations) may repent of their own misdeeds or impiety and may return unto

the Lord in penitence in prayer in consecration for the most acceptable present that can be brought

unto the Lord of hosts is the humbled believing obedient heart

IV THE PATIENCE OF DIVINE POWER (Isa_184) The Lord said I will fake my rest [I will be calm or

still] I will consider in my dwelling-place [I will look on from my habitation] like a clear heat upon herbs

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest God will not be provoked into hurried and impatient judgments

he will retain a Divine composure he will manifest the patience which belongs to conscious power the

heavens should be as still as on the calmest summer day while evil was working to its bitter end while sin

was advancing to its doom Here is a contrast to us and here are lessons for us We in our finite

feebleness are often impatient in spirit and hurried in action We are afraid that if we do not strike at

once we shall not have time to strike at all or that our resources of retribution will fall or that our

adversary will be out of our reach God can entertain no such fear and be affected by no such thought

1 All time is at his command

2 All resources are in his hands

3 The men (nations) whom he may find it needful to chastise can never be beyond the reach of his

power

Hence his calmness in place of our confusion his patience in contrast with our feverish restlessness

(1) Let not the wicked presume on Divine disregard God will put forth his hand in punishment at his own

chosen time

(2) Let not the righteous be surprised or disheartened by his delay he does not count time by our

chronometry he has not the reasons for haste which urge us to immediate action the hour of his merciful

intervention will arrive in timemdashC

2 which sends envoys by sea

in papyrus boats over the water

Go swift messengers

to a people tall and smooth-skinned

to a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by rivers

1BARNES ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors - That is ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send messengers What was the design of their thus sending ambassadors does not appear The prophet simply intimates the fact a fact by which they were well known It may have been for purposes of commerce or to seek protection Bochart renders the word translated lsquoambassadorsrsquo by ldquoimagesrdquo and supposes that it denotes an image of the god Osiris made of the papyrus but there

does not seem to be any reason for this opinion The word ציר tsıyr may mean an idol or image

as in Isa_4516 Psa_4915 But it usually denotes ambassadors or messengers Jos_94 Pro_2513 Pro_1317 Isa_579 Jer_4914 Oba_11

By the sea - What ldquoseardquo is here meant cannot be accurately determined The word lsquosearsquo (ים ya

m) is applied to various collections of water and may be used in reference to a sea a lake a

pond and even a large river It is often applied to the Mediterranean and where the phrase ldquoGreat Seardquo occurs it denotes that Num_346-7 Deu_1124 It is applied to the Lake of Gennesareth or the Sea of Galilee Num_3411 to the Salt Sea Gen_143 to the Red Sea often (Exo_1310 Num_1425 Num_214 Num_3310 ldquoet alrdquo) It is also applied to ldquoa large riverrdquo as ldquoe g the Nilerdquo Isa_195 Neh_38 and to the Euphrates Jer_5136 So far as this ldquowordrdquo is concerned therefore it may denote either the Mediterranean the Red Sea the Nile or the Euphrates If the country spoken of is Upper Egypt or Nubia then we are naturally led to suppose that the prophet refers either to the Nile or the Red Sea

Even in vessels of bulrushes - The word rendered lsquobulrushesrsquo (גמא gome) is derived from

the verb גמא gama ldquoto swallow sip drinkrdquo and is given to a reed or bulrush from its ldquoimbibingrdquo

water It is usually applied in the Scriptures to the Egyptian ldquopapyrusrdquo - a plant which grew on the banks of the Nile and from which we have derived our word ldquopaperrdquo lsquoThis plantrsquo says Taylor (ldquoHeb Conrdquo) lsquogrew in moist places near the Nile and was four or five yards in height Under the bark it consisted wholly of thin skins which being separated and spread out were applied to various uses Of these they made boxes and chests and even boats smearing them over with pitchrsquo These laminoe or skins also served the purpose of paper and were used instead of parchment or plates of lead and copper for writing on This plant the Cyperus Papyrus of modern botanists mostly grew in Lower Egypt in marshy land or in shallow brooks and ponds formed by the inundation of the Nile lsquoThe papyrusrsquo says Pliny lsquogrows in the marsh lands of Egypt or in the stagnant pools left inland by the Nile after it has returned to its bed which have not more than two cubits in depth

The root of the plant is the thickness of a manrsquos arm it has a triangular stalk growing not higher than ten cubits (fifteen feet) and decreasing in breadth toward the summit which is crowned with a thyrsus containing no seeds and of no use except to deck the statues of the gods They employ the roots as firewood and for making various utensils They even construct small boats of the plant and out of the rind sails mats clothes bedding ropes they eat it either crude or cooked swallowing only the juice and when they manufacture paper from it they divide the stem by means of a kind of needle into thin plates or laminae each of which is as large as the plant will admit All the paper is woven upon a table and is continually moistened with Nile water which being thick and slimy furnishes an effectual species of glue In the first place they form upon a table pefectly horizontal a layer the whole length of the papyrus which is crossed by another placed transversely and afterward enclosed within a press

The different sheets are then hung in a situation exposed to the sun in order to dry and the process is finally completed by joining them together beginning with the best There are seldom more than twenty slips or stripes produced from one stem of the plantrsquo (Pliny xiii 11 12) Wilkinson remarks that lsquothe mode of making papyri was this the interior of the stalks of the plant after the rind had been removed was cut into thin slices in the direction of their length and these being laid on a flat board in succession similar slices were placed over them at right angles and their surfaces being cemented together by a sort of glue and subjected to the proper deuce of pressure and well dried the papyrus was completedrsquo (ldquoAncient Egyptiansrdquo vol iii p 148) The word used here is translated lsquobulrushesrsquo in Exo_23 where the little ark is described in which Moses was laid near the Nile the lsquorushrsquo in Job_811 and lsquorushesrsquo in Isa_357

It does not elsewhere occur That the ancients were in the practice of making light boats or vessels from the papyrus is well known Thus Theophrastus (in the ldquoHistory of Plantsrdquo iv 9)

says that lsquothe papyrus is useful for many things for from this they make vesselsrsquo or ships (πλοeα

ploia) Thus Pliny (xiii 11 22) says ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt - lsquofrom the papyrus

they weave vesselsrsquo Again (vi 56 57) lsquoEven nowrsquo says he lsquoin the Britannic Ocean useful vessels are made of bark on the Nile from the papyrus and from reeds and rushesrsquo Plutarch describes Isis going in search of the body of Osiris lsquothrough the fenny country in a bark made of the

papyrus (fνβαριδιπαπυοινη en baridi papnoine) where it is supposed that persons using boats of

this description (fνπαπυρινοιςhκαφεσιπλωοντας en papurinois okaphisi pleontas) are never attacked by crocodiles out of respect to the goddessrsquo (De Isa_181-7) Moses also it will be remembered was exposed on the banks of the Nile in a similar boat or ark lsquoShe took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it With slime and with pitch and put the child thereinrsquo Exo_23

The same word occurs here (גמא gome) which is used by Isaiah and this fact shows that such boats were known as early as the time of Moses Lucan also mentions boats made of the papyrus at Memphis

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro - Phar iv 136

At Memphis boats are woven together from the marshy papyrus

The sculptures of Thebes Memphis and other places abundantly show that they were employed as punts or canoes for fishing in all parts of Egypt during the inundation of the Nilersquo (Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians vol iii p 186) In our own country also it will be remembered the natives were accustomed to make canoes or vessels of the bark of the birch with which they

often adventured on even dangerous navigation The circumstance here mentioned of the גמא go

me (the papyrus) seems to fix the scene of this prophecy to the region of the Nile This reed

grew nowhere else and it is natural therefore to suppose that some nation living near the Nile is intended Taylor the editor of Calmet has shown that the inhabitants of the upper regions of the Nile were accustomed to form floats of hollow earthen vessels and to weave them together with rushes and thus to convey them to Lower Egypt to market He supposes that by lsquovessels of bulrushesrsquo or rush floats are meant such vessels (For a description of the ldquofloatsrdquo made in Upper Egypt with ldquojarsrdquo see Pocockersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo vol i p 84 Ed London 1743) lsquoI first saw in this voyage (on the Nile) the large floats of earthen-ware they are about thirty feet wide and sixty feet long being a frame of palm boughs tied together about four feet deep on which they put a layer of large jars with the mouths uppermost on these they make another floor and then put on another layer of jars and so a third which last are so disposed as to trim the float and leave room for the men to go between The float lies across the river one end being lower down than the other toward the lower end on each side they have four long poles with which they row and direct the boat as well as forward the motion downrsquo Mr Bruce in his ldquoTravelsrdquo mentions vessels made of the papyrus in Abyssinia

Upon the waters - The waters of the Nile or the Red Sea

Saying - This word is not in the Hebrew and the introduction of it by the translators gives a peculiar and probably an incorrect sense to the whole passage As it stands here it would seem to be the language of the inhabitants of the land who sent the ambassadors usually saying to their messengers to go to a distant nation and this introduces an inquiry into the characteristics of the nation to ldquowhomrdquo the ambassadors are sent as if it were a ldquodifferentrdquo people from those who are mentioned in Isa_171 But probably the words which follow are to be regarded as the words of the prophet or of God Isa_174 giving commandment to those messengers to ldquoreturnrdquo to those who sent them and deliver the message which follows lsquoYou send messengers to distant nations in reed boats upon the rivers Return says God to the land which sent you foth and

announce to them the will of God Go rapidly in your light vessels and bear this message for it shall speedily be executed and I will sit calmly and see it donersquo Isa_174-6 A remarkably similar passage which throws great light on this occurs in Eze_309 lsquoIn that day shall messengers go forth from me (God) in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it comethrsquo

Go ye swift messengers - Hebrew lsquoLight messengersrsquo This is evidently addressed to the boats Achilles Tatius says that they were frequently so light and small that they would carry but one person (Rosenmuller)

To a nation - What nation this was is not known The ldquoobviousrdquo import of the passge is that it was some nation to whom they were ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send ambassadors and that it is here added merely as ldquodescriptiverdquo of the people Two or three characterstics of the nation are mentioned from which we may better learn what people are referred to

Scattered - (ממשך memushak) This word is derived from משך mashak ldquoto seize take hold fastrdquo to draw out extend or prolong to make double or strong to spread out The Septuagint

renders it kθνοςmicroετέωρον Ethnos meteoron - lsquoA lofty nationrsquo Chaldee lsquoA people suffering violencersquo Syraic lsquoA nation distortedrsquo Vulgate lsquoA people convulsed and laceratedrsquo It ldquomayrdquo denote a people ldquospread outrdquo over a great extent of country or a people ldquodrawn out in lengthrdquo - that is extended over a country of considerable length but of comparatively narrow breadth as Egypt is so Vitringa understands it Or it may mean a people ldquostrong valiantrdquo so Gesenius understands it This best suits the connection as being a people lsquoterrible hithertorsquo Perhaps all these ideas may be united by the supposition that the nation was drawn out or extended over a large region and was ldquothereforerdquo a powerful or mighty people The idea of its being ldquoscatteredrdquo is not in the text Taylor renders it lsquoA people of short stature contracted in height that is dwarfsrsquo But the idea in the text is not one that is descriptive of ldquoindividualsrdquo but of the ldquocollectedrdquo nation the people

And peeled - (מרט moratʖ from מרט maratʖ) to make smooth or sharpen as a swordrdquo Ezek

2114-32 then to make smooth the head of any one to pluck off his hair Ezr_93 Neh_1325

Isa_506) The Septuagint renders it Ξένονλαpνκαχαλεπόν Cenon laon kai chalepon - lsquoA foreign and wicked peoplersquo Vulgate lsquoTo a people laceratedrsquo The Syriac renders the whole verse lsquoGo swift messengers to a people perverse and torn to a people whose strength has been long since taken away a people defiled and trodden down whose land the rivers have spoiledrsquo The word used here is capable of two significations

(1) It may denote a people who are shaved or made smooth by removing the hair from the body It is known to have been the custom with the Egyptians to make their bodies smooth by shaving off the hair as Herodotus testifies (xi 37) Or

(2) It may be translated as Gesenius proposes a people valiant fierce bold from the sense which the verb has ldquoto sharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115-16

The former is the most obvious interpretation and agrees best with the proper meaning of the Hebrew word the latter would perhaps better suit the connection The editor of Calmer supposes that it is to be taken in the sense of ldquodiminished small dwarfishrdquo and would apply it to the ldquopigmiesrdquo of Upper Egypt

To a people terrible - That is warlike fierce cruel Hebrew lsquoA people fearedrsquo If the Egyptians are meant it may refer to the fact that they had always been an object of terror and alarm to the Israelites from their early oppressions there before their deliverance under Moses

From their beginning hitherto - Hebrew lsquoFrom this time and formerlyrsquo It has been their general character that they were a fierce harsh oppressive nation Gesenius however renders this lsquoTo the formidable nation (and) further beyondrsquo and supposes that two nations are referred

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

When he says that that land shadows with wings we learn from it that its sea was well supplied with

harbours so that it had many vessels sailing to it and was wealthy for small and poor states could not

maintain intercourse or traffic with foreign countries He therefore means that they performed many

voyages

(12) ldquo Ethiopian Troglodytesrdquo says Herodotus ldquo the swiftest of foot of all men of whom we have received

any accounts The Troglodytes feed on serpents and lizards and reptiles of that sort and the language

which they have adopted has no resemblance to any other but they screech like bats mdash Herod 4183

FT270 ldquo vessels of bulrushesrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT271 ldquo and peeled or outspread and polishedrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT272 ldquo nation meted out and trodden downrdquo Heb ldquo nation of line and line and treading under footrdquo mdash

Eng Ver

FT273 ldquo nation meted out by line that is utterly subdued Heb Put under line and line to decide what part

of them should be destroyed and what saved by the conquerors In this manner David is described

(2Sa_82) as having dealt with the children of Moab See Lam_28 Such a nation might well deserve to

be calleddrawn out and pilled that is drawn through the fingers (or an instrument) like a willow in order to

be peeled and made fit for wicker workrdquo mdash Stock

FT274 ldquoVidebitisrdquo ldquoVous le verrezrdquo

FT275 ldquo yerdquo ldquo yerdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT276 ldquo I will consider in my dwelling-placerdquo mdash Eng Ver ldquo will rest and look round in my dwelling-placerdquo

mdash Stock

FT277 ldquo a clear heat upon herbsrdquo or ldquo rainrdquo mdash Eng Ver

FT278 Like the clear heat at the coming of daylight The resting of Jehovah hovering over the enemy till

they are ripe for destruction is here beautifully compared to the condensed gloom before daylight which

is wont to usher in a hot summerrsquo day and to the sheet of dew that appears to hang over the ground in

harvest time presently after sunset עלי (ălē) is here used for near the time of as we say against such a

time אור עלי (ălēō) prope lucem adventante luce mdash Stock

FT279 Rosenmuuml takes notice of another reading supported by the Septuagint Syriac and Vulgate ביום

the heat of harvestrdquo but justly ldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר בהם at the time of harvestrdquo instead ofldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר

remarks that it makes no difference to the meaning mdash Ed

FT280 ldquo is their dead bodiesrdquo mdash Jarchi

FT281 ldquo quit the metaphor the flourishing leaders of a people devoted by Jehovah to destruction shall be

cut off and trampled on The people here spoken of are the Assyrians under Sennacheribrdquo mdash Stock

10 PULPIT ldquoThe contrast of Divine calm with human bustle hurry and excitement

When men take a matter in hand wherein they feel an interest and set themselves either to carry out a

certain design of their own or to frustrate the designs of others nothing is more remarkable than the

fuss that they make about it Heaven and earth are moved so to speak for the accomplishment of the

desired end the entire nation is excited stirred thrilled to its lowest depths a universal eagerness

prevails all is noise clamor haste bustle tumult whirl confusion Assyrias noise is compared

(Isa_1712) to the roar of the sea and the rushing of mighty waters Ethiopias stir is like the sound of

many wings (Isa_181) Even Cyrus though he has a Divine mission cannot set about it without the

noise of a multitude in the mountains like as of a great people a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of

nations gathered together (Isa_134) It is in vain that men are told to stand still and see the salvation of

God (Exo_1413) or admonished that in quietness and confidence should be their strength

(Isa_3015) they cannot bring themselves to act on the advice tendered Great minds indeed are

comparatively quiet and tranquil but even they are liable upon occasion to be swept away by the

prevailing wave of excited feeling and dragged as it were from their moorings into a turbid ocean And

the mass of mankind is wholly without calm or stability It trembles flutters rushes hither and thither

mistakes activity for energy and fussiness for the power of achievement This condition of things results

from three weaknesses in man

1 His want of patience

2 His want of confidence in himself

3 His want of confidence in God

I MANS WANT OF PATIENCE Man desires to obtain whatever end he sets himself at once The boy is

impatient to be grown up the subaltern would at once be a general the clerk a partner the student a

professor of his science Men make haste to be rich (Pro_2820) and overshoot the mark and fall hack

into poverty They strive to become world-famous when they are mere tyros and put fetch ambitions

writings which only show their ignorance They fail to recognize the force of the proverb that everything

comes to those who wait To toil long to persevere to make a small advance day after daymdashthis seems

to them a poor thing an unsatisfactory mode of procedure They would reach the end per saltum by a

bound Hence their haste Too often most haste is worst speed Vaulting ambition cloth oer leap itself

and falls on the other side

II MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IN HIMSELF He who is sure of himself can afford to wait He knows

that he will succeed in the end what matters whether a little sooner or a little later But the bulk of men

are not sure of themselves they misdoubt their powers capacities perseverance steadiness reserve

fund of energy Hence their spasmodic efforts hurried movements violent agitations frantic rushings

hither and thither If they do not gain their end at once they despair of ever attaining it They are

conscious of infinite weakness in themselves and feel that they cannot tell what a day may bring forth in

the way of defeat and disappointment They say that it is necessary to strike while the iron is hot but their

real reason for haste is that they question whether their ability to strike will not have passed away if they

delay ever so little

III MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IS GOD He who feels that God is on his side has no need to

disquiet himself He will not fear the powers of darkness he will not be afraid of what flesh can do unto

him But comparatively few men have this feeling Either they put the thoughts of God altogether away

from them or they view him as an enemy or they misdoubt at any rate his sympathy with themselves

Mostly they feel that they do not deserve his sympathy They cannot rest in the Lord and they cannot

find rest outside of him Hence they remain in perpetual disturbance and unrest Strangely in contrast with

mans unquiet is Gods immovable calm and unruffled tranquility The Lord said I will take my rest

(Isa_184) None can really resist his will and hence he has no need to trouble himself if resistance is

attempted The fierceness of man will always turn to his praise Time is no object with him who is

above time whose goings have been from the days of eternity (Mic_52) In silence and calm he

accomplishes his everlasting purposes Himself at rest in the still depths of his unchangeable nature it is

he alone who can give his creatures rest As they grow mere like to him they will grow more and more

tranquil until the time comes when they will enter finally into that rest which remaineth for his people

(Heb_49)

11 PULPIT ldquoHomage of Ethiopia to Jehovah

I AGITATION IN ETHIOPIA The oracle opens with a scene full of life Hosts of Egyptian and Ethiopian

warriors are seen like buzzing swarms of flies moving to and fro Messengers are speeding in papyrus

boats to announce the approach of the Assyrians The Ethiopians are described as a nation tall and

polished terrible strong and all-subduing whose land rivers cut through A sense of mystery and

greatness hung about this and from the earliest timesmdashthe land of the source of the Nile opened up by

our countryman Spoke and others The prophet lifts up his voice to this people A signal will be seen on

the mountains the blast of a trumpet will be heard There will be symptoms of the Divine presence

restraining overruling the wrath of men for ends of Divine wisdom When wars are carried on every one

sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the beginning and end of them to chance

On the other hand Isaiah shows that all these things ought to be ascribed to God because he will display

his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he works so as to conceal his hand and to

prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he displays his hand in it in such a manner

that all men are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the prophet meant (Calvin)

II THE WAITING OF JEHOVAH Impressive is the contrast between the noise and stir and agitation

below and the calmness above Jehovah will be stillmdashas the blue sky behind a moving host of clouds

above a surging sea below In the second psalm we have the picture of him sitting in the heavens and

laughing at the vain attempts of the enemies of the Messianic kingdom There are three thoughts here

1 The repose of God It seems as if we must ever contemplate him resting from his toils of designing and

creating and providingmdashentered on an eternal sabbath The consciousness of vast force sleeping held

in reserve we must conceive of in God Hence his stillness amidst our excitement At times when vague

movements are passing through the bosom of society many voices rend the air with opposing cries deep

questions agitate the heart and conscience of thoughtful men We long to hear the one infallible voice to

see the signal extended and yet God speaks not a word Perhaps it may be said a still small voice

saying Be still and know that I am God may be heard by acuter spiritual ears His stillness must be the

effect of infinite strength and profoundest confidence

2 His contemplativeness He looks on in his mansion Not as the Epicureans represented the gods of

the heathen sitting apart reckless of the weal or woe of men but intently watchful of the development of

things the ripening of good the gathering up of evil towards the day of sifting and judgment In a powerful

biblical image his eyes are in every place beholding the good and the evil And our thought to be in

harmony with his must in many matters and at many times fall into the mood of contemplation Instead of

seeking to theorize rashly upon the strange mixture of tendencies life at any troubled epoch presents it

were well to possess our souls in patiencemdashto look on and let both grow together till the harvest

3 His waiting attitude While there is clear heat in sunshine while there are clouds of dew in harvest-

heat he is waiting till the fruit of Assyrian annoyance is all but ripe The heat and the clouds of dew

hasten the powers in nature there are corresponding forces at work in the moral world seen by him to be

working towards certain results God can wait because he knows And may not we in a measure

compose our souls into that attitude of waiting Some things we too know about many others we can

say God knows and so leave them Especially so in times or in moods of alarm In the present case

men below see one picture of the future quite another is seen by God above To them a vast black cloud

is gathering over the horizon he sees the sun that will presently smite it asunder They see a fell harvest

of woe for themselves ripening he has the pruning-knife in his hand with which he will make havoc

among the growth They see an immense host of irresistible warriors he the birds of prey and the beasts

that will soon be feeding upon their remains Let us think of the immense reserves of force at the disposal

of Jehovah The statesman in times of alarm assures a trembling country that the resources of

civilization are not yet exhausted yet they have their limit Behind them lie the absolutely inexhaustible

resources of the living and eternal God Let our hearts be stayed on him and all will be well

III THE EFFECT ON ETHIOPIA They will bring a tribute to Jehovah Sabaoth to the Lord of hosts in his

seat on Mount Zion It is he who has done these things We find the like impressive picture passing

before a prophetic eye in Psa_6832 Kingdoms of splendor come out of Egypt Ethiopia stretches out

her hands to God The gathering of so glorious a people into the true Church is to be the result of the

manifestation of the power of Israels God

LESSONS

1 The providence of God over the Church He shows that he takes care of the Church and that though

he determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their powers In order therefore to excite them to patience

he not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation (Calvin)

2 The indestructibility of the spiritual life This must not be confounded with the institutions in which it

dwells for a time But understanding the Church in the spiritual or mystical sense it cannot perish

Calvin wrote in his day The Church is not far from despair being plundered scattered and everywhere

crushed and trodden underfoot What must be done in straits so numerous and so distressing We ought

to lay hold on these promises so as to believe that God will still preserve the Church The body may be

torn shivered into fragments and scattered still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will

never allow the remembrance and calling on his Name to perish

3 The self-concealment of God The trial of faith in all ages Oh that he would show his face bare his

arm disclose his majesty exert his power appear as Judge to end once for all the strifes of the world

But we must learn to say Gods in his heaven alls right with the world At the proper season he will

come forth If he instantly cut the wicked down and took them away like a sprouting blade of corn his

power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so fully ascertained as when he permits

them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may afterwards fall by their own weight or

like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-knives

4 The unity of religion the prophetic ideal Mount Zion was its ancient symbol for us it is not Rome nor

any other city or mountmdashit is the human heart with all its pathos its faith hope and love its regenerate

life and aspirations it is one spirit universal in mankindmdashJ

12 PULPIT ldquoThe patience of power

The most striking and distinctive truth this chapter contains is that of the patience of Divine power which

permits evil to rise and to mature and which at the right moment effectually intervenes But there are

other points beside this they aremdash

I THE MISDIRECTION OF HUMAN INTELLIGENCE Whatever may be the right translation and the true

application of these verses it is clear that reference is made to a warlike peoplemdasha people terrible to

their neighbors a people of command or treading underfoot aggressive and victorious It shows how

far we have fallen from our first estate and from the condition for which we were created that it does not

strike us as strange that this should be the description of a people that the number of nations whom it

characterizes is so great that we fail to identify the nation which is in the prophets vision Under sin it has

become common not to say natural that a nation should be terrible should be treading down or

crushing and full of commands to its neighbors But to how much better purpose might the strong

peoples of the earth devote their strength God has made rich provision for the peaceable and fruitful

exercise of our largest powers There are rivers and seas (Isa_182) for travelling exploration commerce

there is vegetation (bulrushes papyrus) which may be made to carry mens bodies or which by the

exercise of human ingenuity may be made to convey their thoughts to distant lands and remotest times

there is land and there are seeds there is sunshine and there is dew which can be made to produce

golden harvests that will satisfy mans wants and minister to his most refined tastes (Isa_184 Isa_185)

there are birds and beasts (Isa_186) with whose habits men may become intelligently familiar there is

wealth beneath the soil in precious metals which can not only be raised and collected to enrich the

homes of men but which can be conveyed as the tribute of piety to the house of the Lord (Isa_187)

But despising and neglecting such materials and such ambitions as these nations have aspired to rule

over othersmdashhave perfected themselves in all the arts and enginery of war have congratulated

themselves on nothing so much as in being terrible to those on the other side the river or across the

mountain range

II THE COMPLETENESS OF MANS OVERTHROW IN THE DAY OF DIVINE ANGER The destruction

threatened (Isa_185 Isa_186) probably refers to that of the army of Sennacherib but if the reference be

to some other national calamity it certainly points to an overthrow signal and fearful from which the

imagination turns away oppressed So has it been found both by individual men and nations that when

God arises to judgment their feeble defenses are scattered to the winds and their doom is utterly

irreversible by anything they can do to mend it (see Psa_21-12 6317-20 Psa_926 Psa_929)

III THE LESSON OF GODS JUDGMENTS The result in this case is seen in the bringing of a tribute to

the Lord (Isa_187) If God puts forth his power in overwhelming retribution it is chiefly if not wholly that

they who witness it (men or nations) may repent of their own misdeeds or impiety and may return unto

the Lord in penitence in prayer in consecration for the most acceptable present that can be brought

unto the Lord of hosts is the humbled believing obedient heart

IV THE PATIENCE OF DIVINE POWER (Isa_184) The Lord said I will fake my rest [I will be calm or

still] I will consider in my dwelling-place [I will look on from my habitation] like a clear heat upon herbs

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest God will not be provoked into hurried and impatient judgments

he will retain a Divine composure he will manifest the patience which belongs to conscious power the

heavens should be as still as on the calmest summer day while evil was working to its bitter end while sin

was advancing to its doom Here is a contrast to us and here are lessons for us We in our finite

feebleness are often impatient in spirit and hurried in action We are afraid that if we do not strike at

once we shall not have time to strike at all or that our resources of retribution will fall or that our

adversary will be out of our reach God can entertain no such fear and be affected by no such thought

1 All time is at his command

2 All resources are in his hands

3 The men (nations) whom he may find it needful to chastise can never be beyond the reach of his

power

Hence his calmness in place of our confusion his patience in contrast with our feverish restlessness

(1) Let not the wicked presume on Divine disregard God will put forth his hand in punishment at his own

chosen time

(2) Let not the righteous be surprised or disheartened by his delay he does not count time by our

chronometry he has not the reasons for haste which urge us to immediate action the hour of his merciful

intervention will arrive in timemdashC

2 which sends envoys by sea

in papyrus boats over the water

Go swift messengers

to a people tall and smooth-skinned

to a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by rivers

1BARNES ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors - That is ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send messengers What was the design of their thus sending ambassadors does not appear The prophet simply intimates the fact a fact by which they were well known It may have been for purposes of commerce or to seek protection Bochart renders the word translated lsquoambassadorsrsquo by ldquoimagesrdquo and supposes that it denotes an image of the god Osiris made of the papyrus but there

does not seem to be any reason for this opinion The word ציר tsıyr may mean an idol or image

as in Isa_4516 Psa_4915 But it usually denotes ambassadors or messengers Jos_94 Pro_2513 Pro_1317 Isa_579 Jer_4914 Oba_11

By the sea - What ldquoseardquo is here meant cannot be accurately determined The word lsquosearsquo (ים ya

m) is applied to various collections of water and may be used in reference to a sea a lake a

pond and even a large river It is often applied to the Mediterranean and where the phrase ldquoGreat Seardquo occurs it denotes that Num_346-7 Deu_1124 It is applied to the Lake of Gennesareth or the Sea of Galilee Num_3411 to the Salt Sea Gen_143 to the Red Sea often (Exo_1310 Num_1425 Num_214 Num_3310 ldquoet alrdquo) It is also applied to ldquoa large riverrdquo as ldquoe g the Nilerdquo Isa_195 Neh_38 and to the Euphrates Jer_5136 So far as this ldquowordrdquo is concerned therefore it may denote either the Mediterranean the Red Sea the Nile or the Euphrates If the country spoken of is Upper Egypt or Nubia then we are naturally led to suppose that the prophet refers either to the Nile or the Red Sea

Even in vessels of bulrushes - The word rendered lsquobulrushesrsquo (גמא gome) is derived from

the verb גמא gama ldquoto swallow sip drinkrdquo and is given to a reed or bulrush from its ldquoimbibingrdquo

water It is usually applied in the Scriptures to the Egyptian ldquopapyrusrdquo - a plant which grew on the banks of the Nile and from which we have derived our word ldquopaperrdquo lsquoThis plantrsquo says Taylor (ldquoHeb Conrdquo) lsquogrew in moist places near the Nile and was four or five yards in height Under the bark it consisted wholly of thin skins which being separated and spread out were applied to various uses Of these they made boxes and chests and even boats smearing them over with pitchrsquo These laminoe or skins also served the purpose of paper and were used instead of parchment or plates of lead and copper for writing on This plant the Cyperus Papyrus of modern botanists mostly grew in Lower Egypt in marshy land or in shallow brooks and ponds formed by the inundation of the Nile lsquoThe papyrusrsquo says Pliny lsquogrows in the marsh lands of Egypt or in the stagnant pools left inland by the Nile after it has returned to its bed which have not more than two cubits in depth

The root of the plant is the thickness of a manrsquos arm it has a triangular stalk growing not higher than ten cubits (fifteen feet) and decreasing in breadth toward the summit which is crowned with a thyrsus containing no seeds and of no use except to deck the statues of the gods They employ the roots as firewood and for making various utensils They even construct small boats of the plant and out of the rind sails mats clothes bedding ropes they eat it either crude or cooked swallowing only the juice and when they manufacture paper from it they divide the stem by means of a kind of needle into thin plates or laminae each of which is as large as the plant will admit All the paper is woven upon a table and is continually moistened with Nile water which being thick and slimy furnishes an effectual species of glue In the first place they form upon a table pefectly horizontal a layer the whole length of the papyrus which is crossed by another placed transversely and afterward enclosed within a press

The different sheets are then hung in a situation exposed to the sun in order to dry and the process is finally completed by joining them together beginning with the best There are seldom more than twenty slips or stripes produced from one stem of the plantrsquo (Pliny xiii 11 12) Wilkinson remarks that lsquothe mode of making papyri was this the interior of the stalks of the plant after the rind had been removed was cut into thin slices in the direction of their length and these being laid on a flat board in succession similar slices were placed over them at right angles and their surfaces being cemented together by a sort of glue and subjected to the proper deuce of pressure and well dried the papyrus was completedrsquo (ldquoAncient Egyptiansrdquo vol iii p 148) The word used here is translated lsquobulrushesrsquo in Exo_23 where the little ark is described in which Moses was laid near the Nile the lsquorushrsquo in Job_811 and lsquorushesrsquo in Isa_357

It does not elsewhere occur That the ancients were in the practice of making light boats or vessels from the papyrus is well known Thus Theophrastus (in the ldquoHistory of Plantsrdquo iv 9)

says that lsquothe papyrus is useful for many things for from this they make vesselsrsquo or ships (πλοeα

ploia) Thus Pliny (xiii 11 22) says ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt - lsquofrom the papyrus

they weave vesselsrsquo Again (vi 56 57) lsquoEven nowrsquo says he lsquoin the Britannic Ocean useful vessels are made of bark on the Nile from the papyrus and from reeds and rushesrsquo Plutarch describes Isis going in search of the body of Osiris lsquothrough the fenny country in a bark made of the

papyrus (fνβαριδιπαπυοινη en baridi papnoine) where it is supposed that persons using boats of

this description (fνπαπυρινοιςhκαφεσιπλωοντας en papurinois okaphisi pleontas) are never attacked by crocodiles out of respect to the goddessrsquo (De Isa_181-7) Moses also it will be remembered was exposed on the banks of the Nile in a similar boat or ark lsquoShe took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it With slime and with pitch and put the child thereinrsquo Exo_23

The same word occurs here (גמא gome) which is used by Isaiah and this fact shows that such boats were known as early as the time of Moses Lucan also mentions boats made of the papyrus at Memphis

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro - Phar iv 136

At Memphis boats are woven together from the marshy papyrus

The sculptures of Thebes Memphis and other places abundantly show that they were employed as punts or canoes for fishing in all parts of Egypt during the inundation of the Nilersquo (Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians vol iii p 186) In our own country also it will be remembered the natives were accustomed to make canoes or vessels of the bark of the birch with which they

often adventured on even dangerous navigation The circumstance here mentioned of the גמא go

me (the papyrus) seems to fix the scene of this prophecy to the region of the Nile This reed

grew nowhere else and it is natural therefore to suppose that some nation living near the Nile is intended Taylor the editor of Calmet has shown that the inhabitants of the upper regions of the Nile were accustomed to form floats of hollow earthen vessels and to weave them together with rushes and thus to convey them to Lower Egypt to market He supposes that by lsquovessels of bulrushesrsquo or rush floats are meant such vessels (For a description of the ldquofloatsrdquo made in Upper Egypt with ldquojarsrdquo see Pocockersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo vol i p 84 Ed London 1743) lsquoI first saw in this voyage (on the Nile) the large floats of earthen-ware they are about thirty feet wide and sixty feet long being a frame of palm boughs tied together about four feet deep on which they put a layer of large jars with the mouths uppermost on these they make another floor and then put on another layer of jars and so a third which last are so disposed as to trim the float and leave room for the men to go between The float lies across the river one end being lower down than the other toward the lower end on each side they have four long poles with which they row and direct the boat as well as forward the motion downrsquo Mr Bruce in his ldquoTravelsrdquo mentions vessels made of the papyrus in Abyssinia

Upon the waters - The waters of the Nile or the Red Sea

Saying - This word is not in the Hebrew and the introduction of it by the translators gives a peculiar and probably an incorrect sense to the whole passage As it stands here it would seem to be the language of the inhabitants of the land who sent the ambassadors usually saying to their messengers to go to a distant nation and this introduces an inquiry into the characteristics of the nation to ldquowhomrdquo the ambassadors are sent as if it were a ldquodifferentrdquo people from those who are mentioned in Isa_171 But probably the words which follow are to be regarded as the words of the prophet or of God Isa_174 giving commandment to those messengers to ldquoreturnrdquo to those who sent them and deliver the message which follows lsquoYou send messengers to distant nations in reed boats upon the rivers Return says God to the land which sent you foth and

announce to them the will of God Go rapidly in your light vessels and bear this message for it shall speedily be executed and I will sit calmly and see it donersquo Isa_174-6 A remarkably similar passage which throws great light on this occurs in Eze_309 lsquoIn that day shall messengers go forth from me (God) in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it comethrsquo

Go ye swift messengers - Hebrew lsquoLight messengersrsquo This is evidently addressed to the boats Achilles Tatius says that they were frequently so light and small that they would carry but one person (Rosenmuller)

To a nation - What nation this was is not known The ldquoobviousrdquo import of the passge is that it was some nation to whom they were ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send ambassadors and that it is here added merely as ldquodescriptiverdquo of the people Two or three characterstics of the nation are mentioned from which we may better learn what people are referred to

Scattered - (ממשך memushak) This word is derived from משך mashak ldquoto seize take hold fastrdquo to draw out extend or prolong to make double or strong to spread out The Septuagint

renders it kθνοςmicroετέωρον Ethnos meteoron - lsquoA lofty nationrsquo Chaldee lsquoA people suffering violencersquo Syraic lsquoA nation distortedrsquo Vulgate lsquoA people convulsed and laceratedrsquo It ldquomayrdquo denote a people ldquospread outrdquo over a great extent of country or a people ldquodrawn out in lengthrdquo - that is extended over a country of considerable length but of comparatively narrow breadth as Egypt is so Vitringa understands it Or it may mean a people ldquostrong valiantrdquo so Gesenius understands it This best suits the connection as being a people lsquoterrible hithertorsquo Perhaps all these ideas may be united by the supposition that the nation was drawn out or extended over a large region and was ldquothereforerdquo a powerful or mighty people The idea of its being ldquoscatteredrdquo is not in the text Taylor renders it lsquoA people of short stature contracted in height that is dwarfsrsquo But the idea in the text is not one that is descriptive of ldquoindividualsrdquo but of the ldquocollectedrdquo nation the people

And peeled - (מרט moratʖ from מרט maratʖ) to make smooth or sharpen as a swordrdquo Ezek

2114-32 then to make smooth the head of any one to pluck off his hair Ezr_93 Neh_1325

Isa_506) The Septuagint renders it Ξένονλαpνκαχαλεπόν Cenon laon kai chalepon - lsquoA foreign and wicked peoplersquo Vulgate lsquoTo a people laceratedrsquo The Syriac renders the whole verse lsquoGo swift messengers to a people perverse and torn to a people whose strength has been long since taken away a people defiled and trodden down whose land the rivers have spoiledrsquo The word used here is capable of two significations

(1) It may denote a people who are shaved or made smooth by removing the hair from the body It is known to have been the custom with the Egyptians to make their bodies smooth by shaving off the hair as Herodotus testifies (xi 37) Or

(2) It may be translated as Gesenius proposes a people valiant fierce bold from the sense which the verb has ldquoto sharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115-16

The former is the most obvious interpretation and agrees best with the proper meaning of the Hebrew word the latter would perhaps better suit the connection The editor of Calmer supposes that it is to be taken in the sense of ldquodiminished small dwarfishrdquo and would apply it to the ldquopigmiesrdquo of Upper Egypt

To a people terrible - That is warlike fierce cruel Hebrew lsquoA people fearedrsquo If the Egyptians are meant it may refer to the fact that they had always been an object of terror and alarm to the Israelites from their early oppressions there before their deliverance under Moses

From their beginning hitherto - Hebrew lsquoFrom this time and formerlyrsquo It has been their general character that they were a fierce harsh oppressive nation Gesenius however renders this lsquoTo the formidable nation (and) further beyondrsquo and supposes that two nations are referred

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

harvest time presently after sunset עלי (ălē) is here used for near the time of as we say against such a

time אור עלי (ălēō) prope lucem adventante luce mdash Stock

FT279 Rosenmuuml takes notice of another reading supported by the Septuagint Syriac and Vulgate ביום

the heat of harvestrdquo but justly ldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר בהם at the time of harvestrdquo instead ofldquo (bĕō kāī) קציר

remarks that it makes no difference to the meaning mdash Ed

FT280 ldquo is their dead bodiesrdquo mdash Jarchi

FT281 ldquo quit the metaphor the flourishing leaders of a people devoted by Jehovah to destruction shall be

cut off and trampled on The people here spoken of are the Assyrians under Sennacheribrdquo mdash Stock

10 PULPIT ldquoThe contrast of Divine calm with human bustle hurry and excitement

When men take a matter in hand wherein they feel an interest and set themselves either to carry out a

certain design of their own or to frustrate the designs of others nothing is more remarkable than the

fuss that they make about it Heaven and earth are moved so to speak for the accomplishment of the

desired end the entire nation is excited stirred thrilled to its lowest depths a universal eagerness

prevails all is noise clamor haste bustle tumult whirl confusion Assyrias noise is compared

(Isa_1712) to the roar of the sea and the rushing of mighty waters Ethiopias stir is like the sound of

many wings (Isa_181) Even Cyrus though he has a Divine mission cannot set about it without the

noise of a multitude in the mountains like as of a great people a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of

nations gathered together (Isa_134) It is in vain that men are told to stand still and see the salvation of

God (Exo_1413) or admonished that in quietness and confidence should be their strength

(Isa_3015) they cannot bring themselves to act on the advice tendered Great minds indeed are

comparatively quiet and tranquil but even they are liable upon occasion to be swept away by the

prevailing wave of excited feeling and dragged as it were from their moorings into a turbid ocean And

the mass of mankind is wholly without calm or stability It trembles flutters rushes hither and thither

mistakes activity for energy and fussiness for the power of achievement This condition of things results

from three weaknesses in man

1 His want of patience

2 His want of confidence in himself

3 His want of confidence in God

I MANS WANT OF PATIENCE Man desires to obtain whatever end he sets himself at once The boy is

impatient to be grown up the subaltern would at once be a general the clerk a partner the student a

professor of his science Men make haste to be rich (Pro_2820) and overshoot the mark and fall hack

into poverty They strive to become world-famous when they are mere tyros and put fetch ambitions

writings which only show their ignorance They fail to recognize the force of the proverb that everything

comes to those who wait To toil long to persevere to make a small advance day after daymdashthis seems

to them a poor thing an unsatisfactory mode of procedure They would reach the end per saltum by a

bound Hence their haste Too often most haste is worst speed Vaulting ambition cloth oer leap itself

and falls on the other side

II MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IN HIMSELF He who is sure of himself can afford to wait He knows

that he will succeed in the end what matters whether a little sooner or a little later But the bulk of men

are not sure of themselves they misdoubt their powers capacities perseverance steadiness reserve

fund of energy Hence their spasmodic efforts hurried movements violent agitations frantic rushings

hither and thither If they do not gain their end at once they despair of ever attaining it They are

conscious of infinite weakness in themselves and feel that they cannot tell what a day may bring forth in

the way of defeat and disappointment They say that it is necessary to strike while the iron is hot but their

real reason for haste is that they question whether their ability to strike will not have passed away if they

delay ever so little

III MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IS GOD He who feels that God is on his side has no need to

disquiet himself He will not fear the powers of darkness he will not be afraid of what flesh can do unto

him But comparatively few men have this feeling Either they put the thoughts of God altogether away

from them or they view him as an enemy or they misdoubt at any rate his sympathy with themselves

Mostly they feel that they do not deserve his sympathy They cannot rest in the Lord and they cannot

find rest outside of him Hence they remain in perpetual disturbance and unrest Strangely in contrast with

mans unquiet is Gods immovable calm and unruffled tranquility The Lord said I will take my rest

(Isa_184) None can really resist his will and hence he has no need to trouble himself if resistance is

attempted The fierceness of man will always turn to his praise Time is no object with him who is

above time whose goings have been from the days of eternity (Mic_52) In silence and calm he

accomplishes his everlasting purposes Himself at rest in the still depths of his unchangeable nature it is

he alone who can give his creatures rest As they grow mere like to him they will grow more and more

tranquil until the time comes when they will enter finally into that rest which remaineth for his people

(Heb_49)

11 PULPIT ldquoHomage of Ethiopia to Jehovah

I AGITATION IN ETHIOPIA The oracle opens with a scene full of life Hosts of Egyptian and Ethiopian

warriors are seen like buzzing swarms of flies moving to and fro Messengers are speeding in papyrus

boats to announce the approach of the Assyrians The Ethiopians are described as a nation tall and

polished terrible strong and all-subduing whose land rivers cut through A sense of mystery and

greatness hung about this and from the earliest timesmdashthe land of the source of the Nile opened up by

our countryman Spoke and others The prophet lifts up his voice to this people A signal will be seen on

the mountains the blast of a trumpet will be heard There will be symptoms of the Divine presence

restraining overruling the wrath of men for ends of Divine wisdom When wars are carried on every one

sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the beginning and end of them to chance

On the other hand Isaiah shows that all these things ought to be ascribed to God because he will display

his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he works so as to conceal his hand and to

prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he displays his hand in it in such a manner

that all men are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the prophet meant (Calvin)

II THE WAITING OF JEHOVAH Impressive is the contrast between the noise and stir and agitation

below and the calmness above Jehovah will be stillmdashas the blue sky behind a moving host of clouds

above a surging sea below In the second psalm we have the picture of him sitting in the heavens and

laughing at the vain attempts of the enemies of the Messianic kingdom There are three thoughts here

1 The repose of God It seems as if we must ever contemplate him resting from his toils of designing and

creating and providingmdashentered on an eternal sabbath The consciousness of vast force sleeping held

in reserve we must conceive of in God Hence his stillness amidst our excitement At times when vague

movements are passing through the bosom of society many voices rend the air with opposing cries deep

questions agitate the heart and conscience of thoughtful men We long to hear the one infallible voice to

see the signal extended and yet God speaks not a word Perhaps it may be said a still small voice

saying Be still and know that I am God may be heard by acuter spiritual ears His stillness must be the

effect of infinite strength and profoundest confidence

2 His contemplativeness He looks on in his mansion Not as the Epicureans represented the gods of

the heathen sitting apart reckless of the weal or woe of men but intently watchful of the development of

things the ripening of good the gathering up of evil towards the day of sifting and judgment In a powerful

biblical image his eyes are in every place beholding the good and the evil And our thought to be in

harmony with his must in many matters and at many times fall into the mood of contemplation Instead of

seeking to theorize rashly upon the strange mixture of tendencies life at any troubled epoch presents it

were well to possess our souls in patiencemdashto look on and let both grow together till the harvest

3 His waiting attitude While there is clear heat in sunshine while there are clouds of dew in harvest-

heat he is waiting till the fruit of Assyrian annoyance is all but ripe The heat and the clouds of dew

hasten the powers in nature there are corresponding forces at work in the moral world seen by him to be

working towards certain results God can wait because he knows And may not we in a measure

compose our souls into that attitude of waiting Some things we too know about many others we can

say God knows and so leave them Especially so in times or in moods of alarm In the present case

men below see one picture of the future quite another is seen by God above To them a vast black cloud

is gathering over the horizon he sees the sun that will presently smite it asunder They see a fell harvest

of woe for themselves ripening he has the pruning-knife in his hand with which he will make havoc

among the growth They see an immense host of irresistible warriors he the birds of prey and the beasts

that will soon be feeding upon their remains Let us think of the immense reserves of force at the disposal

of Jehovah The statesman in times of alarm assures a trembling country that the resources of

civilization are not yet exhausted yet they have their limit Behind them lie the absolutely inexhaustible

resources of the living and eternal God Let our hearts be stayed on him and all will be well

III THE EFFECT ON ETHIOPIA They will bring a tribute to Jehovah Sabaoth to the Lord of hosts in his

seat on Mount Zion It is he who has done these things We find the like impressive picture passing

before a prophetic eye in Psa_6832 Kingdoms of splendor come out of Egypt Ethiopia stretches out

her hands to God The gathering of so glorious a people into the true Church is to be the result of the

manifestation of the power of Israels God

LESSONS

1 The providence of God over the Church He shows that he takes care of the Church and that though

he determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their powers In order therefore to excite them to patience

he not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation (Calvin)

2 The indestructibility of the spiritual life This must not be confounded with the institutions in which it

dwells for a time But understanding the Church in the spiritual or mystical sense it cannot perish

Calvin wrote in his day The Church is not far from despair being plundered scattered and everywhere

crushed and trodden underfoot What must be done in straits so numerous and so distressing We ought

to lay hold on these promises so as to believe that God will still preserve the Church The body may be

torn shivered into fragments and scattered still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will

never allow the remembrance and calling on his Name to perish

3 The self-concealment of God The trial of faith in all ages Oh that he would show his face bare his

arm disclose his majesty exert his power appear as Judge to end once for all the strifes of the world

But we must learn to say Gods in his heaven alls right with the world At the proper season he will

come forth If he instantly cut the wicked down and took them away like a sprouting blade of corn his

power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so fully ascertained as when he permits

them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may afterwards fall by their own weight or

like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-knives

4 The unity of religion the prophetic ideal Mount Zion was its ancient symbol for us it is not Rome nor

any other city or mountmdashit is the human heart with all its pathos its faith hope and love its regenerate

life and aspirations it is one spirit universal in mankindmdashJ

12 PULPIT ldquoThe patience of power

The most striking and distinctive truth this chapter contains is that of the patience of Divine power which

permits evil to rise and to mature and which at the right moment effectually intervenes But there are

other points beside this they aremdash

I THE MISDIRECTION OF HUMAN INTELLIGENCE Whatever may be the right translation and the true

application of these verses it is clear that reference is made to a warlike peoplemdasha people terrible to

their neighbors a people of command or treading underfoot aggressive and victorious It shows how

far we have fallen from our first estate and from the condition for which we were created that it does not

strike us as strange that this should be the description of a people that the number of nations whom it

characterizes is so great that we fail to identify the nation which is in the prophets vision Under sin it has

become common not to say natural that a nation should be terrible should be treading down or

crushing and full of commands to its neighbors But to how much better purpose might the strong

peoples of the earth devote their strength God has made rich provision for the peaceable and fruitful

exercise of our largest powers There are rivers and seas (Isa_182) for travelling exploration commerce

there is vegetation (bulrushes papyrus) which may be made to carry mens bodies or which by the

exercise of human ingenuity may be made to convey their thoughts to distant lands and remotest times

there is land and there are seeds there is sunshine and there is dew which can be made to produce

golden harvests that will satisfy mans wants and minister to his most refined tastes (Isa_184 Isa_185)

there are birds and beasts (Isa_186) with whose habits men may become intelligently familiar there is

wealth beneath the soil in precious metals which can not only be raised and collected to enrich the

homes of men but which can be conveyed as the tribute of piety to the house of the Lord (Isa_187)

But despising and neglecting such materials and such ambitions as these nations have aspired to rule

over othersmdashhave perfected themselves in all the arts and enginery of war have congratulated

themselves on nothing so much as in being terrible to those on the other side the river or across the

mountain range

II THE COMPLETENESS OF MANS OVERTHROW IN THE DAY OF DIVINE ANGER The destruction

threatened (Isa_185 Isa_186) probably refers to that of the army of Sennacherib but if the reference be

to some other national calamity it certainly points to an overthrow signal and fearful from which the

imagination turns away oppressed So has it been found both by individual men and nations that when

God arises to judgment their feeble defenses are scattered to the winds and their doom is utterly

irreversible by anything they can do to mend it (see Psa_21-12 6317-20 Psa_926 Psa_929)

III THE LESSON OF GODS JUDGMENTS The result in this case is seen in the bringing of a tribute to

the Lord (Isa_187) If God puts forth his power in overwhelming retribution it is chiefly if not wholly that

they who witness it (men or nations) may repent of their own misdeeds or impiety and may return unto

the Lord in penitence in prayer in consecration for the most acceptable present that can be brought

unto the Lord of hosts is the humbled believing obedient heart

IV THE PATIENCE OF DIVINE POWER (Isa_184) The Lord said I will fake my rest [I will be calm or

still] I will consider in my dwelling-place [I will look on from my habitation] like a clear heat upon herbs

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest God will not be provoked into hurried and impatient judgments

he will retain a Divine composure he will manifest the patience which belongs to conscious power the

heavens should be as still as on the calmest summer day while evil was working to its bitter end while sin

was advancing to its doom Here is a contrast to us and here are lessons for us We in our finite

feebleness are often impatient in spirit and hurried in action We are afraid that if we do not strike at

once we shall not have time to strike at all or that our resources of retribution will fall or that our

adversary will be out of our reach God can entertain no such fear and be affected by no such thought

1 All time is at his command

2 All resources are in his hands

3 The men (nations) whom he may find it needful to chastise can never be beyond the reach of his

power

Hence his calmness in place of our confusion his patience in contrast with our feverish restlessness

(1) Let not the wicked presume on Divine disregard God will put forth his hand in punishment at his own

chosen time

(2) Let not the righteous be surprised or disheartened by his delay he does not count time by our

chronometry he has not the reasons for haste which urge us to immediate action the hour of his merciful

intervention will arrive in timemdashC

2 which sends envoys by sea

in papyrus boats over the water

Go swift messengers

to a people tall and smooth-skinned

to a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by rivers

1BARNES ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors - That is ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send messengers What was the design of their thus sending ambassadors does not appear The prophet simply intimates the fact a fact by which they were well known It may have been for purposes of commerce or to seek protection Bochart renders the word translated lsquoambassadorsrsquo by ldquoimagesrdquo and supposes that it denotes an image of the god Osiris made of the papyrus but there

does not seem to be any reason for this opinion The word ציר tsıyr may mean an idol or image

as in Isa_4516 Psa_4915 But it usually denotes ambassadors or messengers Jos_94 Pro_2513 Pro_1317 Isa_579 Jer_4914 Oba_11

By the sea - What ldquoseardquo is here meant cannot be accurately determined The word lsquosearsquo (ים ya

m) is applied to various collections of water and may be used in reference to a sea a lake a

pond and even a large river It is often applied to the Mediterranean and where the phrase ldquoGreat Seardquo occurs it denotes that Num_346-7 Deu_1124 It is applied to the Lake of Gennesareth or the Sea of Galilee Num_3411 to the Salt Sea Gen_143 to the Red Sea often (Exo_1310 Num_1425 Num_214 Num_3310 ldquoet alrdquo) It is also applied to ldquoa large riverrdquo as ldquoe g the Nilerdquo Isa_195 Neh_38 and to the Euphrates Jer_5136 So far as this ldquowordrdquo is concerned therefore it may denote either the Mediterranean the Red Sea the Nile or the Euphrates If the country spoken of is Upper Egypt or Nubia then we are naturally led to suppose that the prophet refers either to the Nile or the Red Sea

Even in vessels of bulrushes - The word rendered lsquobulrushesrsquo (גמא gome) is derived from

the verb גמא gama ldquoto swallow sip drinkrdquo and is given to a reed or bulrush from its ldquoimbibingrdquo

water It is usually applied in the Scriptures to the Egyptian ldquopapyrusrdquo - a plant which grew on the banks of the Nile and from which we have derived our word ldquopaperrdquo lsquoThis plantrsquo says Taylor (ldquoHeb Conrdquo) lsquogrew in moist places near the Nile and was four or five yards in height Under the bark it consisted wholly of thin skins which being separated and spread out were applied to various uses Of these they made boxes and chests and even boats smearing them over with pitchrsquo These laminoe or skins also served the purpose of paper and were used instead of parchment or plates of lead and copper for writing on This plant the Cyperus Papyrus of modern botanists mostly grew in Lower Egypt in marshy land or in shallow brooks and ponds formed by the inundation of the Nile lsquoThe papyrusrsquo says Pliny lsquogrows in the marsh lands of Egypt or in the stagnant pools left inland by the Nile after it has returned to its bed which have not more than two cubits in depth

The root of the plant is the thickness of a manrsquos arm it has a triangular stalk growing not higher than ten cubits (fifteen feet) and decreasing in breadth toward the summit which is crowned with a thyrsus containing no seeds and of no use except to deck the statues of the gods They employ the roots as firewood and for making various utensils They even construct small boats of the plant and out of the rind sails mats clothes bedding ropes they eat it either crude or cooked swallowing only the juice and when they manufacture paper from it they divide the stem by means of a kind of needle into thin plates or laminae each of which is as large as the plant will admit All the paper is woven upon a table and is continually moistened with Nile water which being thick and slimy furnishes an effectual species of glue In the first place they form upon a table pefectly horizontal a layer the whole length of the papyrus which is crossed by another placed transversely and afterward enclosed within a press

The different sheets are then hung in a situation exposed to the sun in order to dry and the process is finally completed by joining them together beginning with the best There are seldom more than twenty slips or stripes produced from one stem of the plantrsquo (Pliny xiii 11 12) Wilkinson remarks that lsquothe mode of making papyri was this the interior of the stalks of the plant after the rind had been removed was cut into thin slices in the direction of their length and these being laid on a flat board in succession similar slices were placed over them at right angles and their surfaces being cemented together by a sort of glue and subjected to the proper deuce of pressure and well dried the papyrus was completedrsquo (ldquoAncient Egyptiansrdquo vol iii p 148) The word used here is translated lsquobulrushesrsquo in Exo_23 where the little ark is described in which Moses was laid near the Nile the lsquorushrsquo in Job_811 and lsquorushesrsquo in Isa_357

It does not elsewhere occur That the ancients were in the practice of making light boats or vessels from the papyrus is well known Thus Theophrastus (in the ldquoHistory of Plantsrdquo iv 9)

says that lsquothe papyrus is useful for many things for from this they make vesselsrsquo or ships (πλοeα

ploia) Thus Pliny (xiii 11 22) says ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt - lsquofrom the papyrus

they weave vesselsrsquo Again (vi 56 57) lsquoEven nowrsquo says he lsquoin the Britannic Ocean useful vessels are made of bark on the Nile from the papyrus and from reeds and rushesrsquo Plutarch describes Isis going in search of the body of Osiris lsquothrough the fenny country in a bark made of the

papyrus (fνβαριδιπαπυοινη en baridi papnoine) where it is supposed that persons using boats of

this description (fνπαπυρινοιςhκαφεσιπλωοντας en papurinois okaphisi pleontas) are never attacked by crocodiles out of respect to the goddessrsquo (De Isa_181-7) Moses also it will be remembered was exposed on the banks of the Nile in a similar boat or ark lsquoShe took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it With slime and with pitch and put the child thereinrsquo Exo_23

The same word occurs here (גמא gome) which is used by Isaiah and this fact shows that such boats were known as early as the time of Moses Lucan also mentions boats made of the papyrus at Memphis

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro - Phar iv 136

At Memphis boats are woven together from the marshy papyrus

The sculptures of Thebes Memphis and other places abundantly show that they were employed as punts or canoes for fishing in all parts of Egypt during the inundation of the Nilersquo (Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians vol iii p 186) In our own country also it will be remembered the natives were accustomed to make canoes or vessels of the bark of the birch with which they

often adventured on even dangerous navigation The circumstance here mentioned of the גמא go

me (the papyrus) seems to fix the scene of this prophecy to the region of the Nile This reed

grew nowhere else and it is natural therefore to suppose that some nation living near the Nile is intended Taylor the editor of Calmet has shown that the inhabitants of the upper regions of the Nile were accustomed to form floats of hollow earthen vessels and to weave them together with rushes and thus to convey them to Lower Egypt to market He supposes that by lsquovessels of bulrushesrsquo or rush floats are meant such vessels (For a description of the ldquofloatsrdquo made in Upper Egypt with ldquojarsrdquo see Pocockersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo vol i p 84 Ed London 1743) lsquoI first saw in this voyage (on the Nile) the large floats of earthen-ware they are about thirty feet wide and sixty feet long being a frame of palm boughs tied together about four feet deep on which they put a layer of large jars with the mouths uppermost on these they make another floor and then put on another layer of jars and so a third which last are so disposed as to trim the float and leave room for the men to go between The float lies across the river one end being lower down than the other toward the lower end on each side they have four long poles with which they row and direct the boat as well as forward the motion downrsquo Mr Bruce in his ldquoTravelsrdquo mentions vessels made of the papyrus in Abyssinia

Upon the waters - The waters of the Nile or the Red Sea

Saying - This word is not in the Hebrew and the introduction of it by the translators gives a peculiar and probably an incorrect sense to the whole passage As it stands here it would seem to be the language of the inhabitants of the land who sent the ambassadors usually saying to their messengers to go to a distant nation and this introduces an inquiry into the characteristics of the nation to ldquowhomrdquo the ambassadors are sent as if it were a ldquodifferentrdquo people from those who are mentioned in Isa_171 But probably the words which follow are to be regarded as the words of the prophet or of God Isa_174 giving commandment to those messengers to ldquoreturnrdquo to those who sent them and deliver the message which follows lsquoYou send messengers to distant nations in reed boats upon the rivers Return says God to the land which sent you foth and

announce to them the will of God Go rapidly in your light vessels and bear this message for it shall speedily be executed and I will sit calmly and see it donersquo Isa_174-6 A remarkably similar passage which throws great light on this occurs in Eze_309 lsquoIn that day shall messengers go forth from me (God) in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it comethrsquo

Go ye swift messengers - Hebrew lsquoLight messengersrsquo This is evidently addressed to the boats Achilles Tatius says that they were frequently so light and small that they would carry but one person (Rosenmuller)

To a nation - What nation this was is not known The ldquoobviousrdquo import of the passge is that it was some nation to whom they were ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send ambassadors and that it is here added merely as ldquodescriptiverdquo of the people Two or three characterstics of the nation are mentioned from which we may better learn what people are referred to

Scattered - (ממשך memushak) This word is derived from משך mashak ldquoto seize take hold fastrdquo to draw out extend or prolong to make double or strong to spread out The Septuagint

renders it kθνοςmicroετέωρον Ethnos meteoron - lsquoA lofty nationrsquo Chaldee lsquoA people suffering violencersquo Syraic lsquoA nation distortedrsquo Vulgate lsquoA people convulsed and laceratedrsquo It ldquomayrdquo denote a people ldquospread outrdquo over a great extent of country or a people ldquodrawn out in lengthrdquo - that is extended over a country of considerable length but of comparatively narrow breadth as Egypt is so Vitringa understands it Or it may mean a people ldquostrong valiantrdquo so Gesenius understands it This best suits the connection as being a people lsquoterrible hithertorsquo Perhaps all these ideas may be united by the supposition that the nation was drawn out or extended over a large region and was ldquothereforerdquo a powerful or mighty people The idea of its being ldquoscatteredrdquo is not in the text Taylor renders it lsquoA people of short stature contracted in height that is dwarfsrsquo But the idea in the text is not one that is descriptive of ldquoindividualsrdquo but of the ldquocollectedrdquo nation the people

And peeled - (מרט moratʖ from מרט maratʖ) to make smooth or sharpen as a swordrdquo Ezek

2114-32 then to make smooth the head of any one to pluck off his hair Ezr_93 Neh_1325

Isa_506) The Septuagint renders it Ξένονλαpνκαχαλεπόν Cenon laon kai chalepon - lsquoA foreign and wicked peoplersquo Vulgate lsquoTo a people laceratedrsquo The Syriac renders the whole verse lsquoGo swift messengers to a people perverse and torn to a people whose strength has been long since taken away a people defiled and trodden down whose land the rivers have spoiledrsquo The word used here is capable of two significations

(1) It may denote a people who are shaved or made smooth by removing the hair from the body It is known to have been the custom with the Egyptians to make their bodies smooth by shaving off the hair as Herodotus testifies (xi 37) Or

(2) It may be translated as Gesenius proposes a people valiant fierce bold from the sense which the verb has ldquoto sharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115-16

The former is the most obvious interpretation and agrees best with the proper meaning of the Hebrew word the latter would perhaps better suit the connection The editor of Calmer supposes that it is to be taken in the sense of ldquodiminished small dwarfishrdquo and would apply it to the ldquopigmiesrdquo of Upper Egypt

To a people terrible - That is warlike fierce cruel Hebrew lsquoA people fearedrsquo If the Egyptians are meant it may refer to the fact that they had always been an object of terror and alarm to the Israelites from their early oppressions there before their deliverance under Moses

From their beginning hitherto - Hebrew lsquoFrom this time and formerlyrsquo It has been their general character that they were a fierce harsh oppressive nation Gesenius however renders this lsquoTo the formidable nation (and) further beyondrsquo and supposes that two nations are referred

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

3 His want of confidence in God

I MANS WANT OF PATIENCE Man desires to obtain whatever end he sets himself at once The boy is

impatient to be grown up the subaltern would at once be a general the clerk a partner the student a

professor of his science Men make haste to be rich (Pro_2820) and overshoot the mark and fall hack

into poverty They strive to become world-famous when they are mere tyros and put fetch ambitions

writings which only show their ignorance They fail to recognize the force of the proverb that everything

comes to those who wait To toil long to persevere to make a small advance day after daymdashthis seems

to them a poor thing an unsatisfactory mode of procedure They would reach the end per saltum by a

bound Hence their haste Too often most haste is worst speed Vaulting ambition cloth oer leap itself

and falls on the other side

II MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IN HIMSELF He who is sure of himself can afford to wait He knows

that he will succeed in the end what matters whether a little sooner or a little later But the bulk of men

are not sure of themselves they misdoubt their powers capacities perseverance steadiness reserve

fund of energy Hence their spasmodic efforts hurried movements violent agitations frantic rushings

hither and thither If they do not gain their end at once they despair of ever attaining it They are

conscious of infinite weakness in themselves and feel that they cannot tell what a day may bring forth in

the way of defeat and disappointment They say that it is necessary to strike while the iron is hot but their

real reason for haste is that they question whether their ability to strike will not have passed away if they

delay ever so little

III MANS WANT OF CONFIDENCE IS GOD He who feels that God is on his side has no need to

disquiet himself He will not fear the powers of darkness he will not be afraid of what flesh can do unto

him But comparatively few men have this feeling Either they put the thoughts of God altogether away

from them or they view him as an enemy or they misdoubt at any rate his sympathy with themselves

Mostly they feel that they do not deserve his sympathy They cannot rest in the Lord and they cannot

find rest outside of him Hence they remain in perpetual disturbance and unrest Strangely in contrast with

mans unquiet is Gods immovable calm and unruffled tranquility The Lord said I will take my rest

(Isa_184) None can really resist his will and hence he has no need to trouble himself if resistance is

attempted The fierceness of man will always turn to his praise Time is no object with him who is

above time whose goings have been from the days of eternity (Mic_52) In silence and calm he

accomplishes his everlasting purposes Himself at rest in the still depths of his unchangeable nature it is

he alone who can give his creatures rest As they grow mere like to him they will grow more and more

tranquil until the time comes when they will enter finally into that rest which remaineth for his people

(Heb_49)

11 PULPIT ldquoHomage of Ethiopia to Jehovah

I AGITATION IN ETHIOPIA The oracle opens with a scene full of life Hosts of Egyptian and Ethiopian

warriors are seen like buzzing swarms of flies moving to and fro Messengers are speeding in papyrus

boats to announce the approach of the Assyrians The Ethiopians are described as a nation tall and

polished terrible strong and all-subduing whose land rivers cut through A sense of mystery and

greatness hung about this and from the earliest timesmdashthe land of the source of the Nile opened up by

our countryman Spoke and others The prophet lifts up his voice to this people A signal will be seen on

the mountains the blast of a trumpet will be heard There will be symptoms of the Divine presence

restraining overruling the wrath of men for ends of Divine wisdom When wars are carried on every one

sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the beginning and end of them to chance

On the other hand Isaiah shows that all these things ought to be ascribed to God because he will display

his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he works so as to conceal his hand and to

prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he displays his hand in it in such a manner

that all men are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the prophet meant (Calvin)

II THE WAITING OF JEHOVAH Impressive is the contrast between the noise and stir and agitation

below and the calmness above Jehovah will be stillmdashas the blue sky behind a moving host of clouds

above a surging sea below In the second psalm we have the picture of him sitting in the heavens and

laughing at the vain attempts of the enemies of the Messianic kingdom There are three thoughts here

1 The repose of God It seems as if we must ever contemplate him resting from his toils of designing and

creating and providingmdashentered on an eternal sabbath The consciousness of vast force sleeping held

in reserve we must conceive of in God Hence his stillness amidst our excitement At times when vague

movements are passing through the bosom of society many voices rend the air with opposing cries deep

questions agitate the heart and conscience of thoughtful men We long to hear the one infallible voice to

see the signal extended and yet God speaks not a word Perhaps it may be said a still small voice

saying Be still and know that I am God may be heard by acuter spiritual ears His stillness must be the

effect of infinite strength and profoundest confidence

2 His contemplativeness He looks on in his mansion Not as the Epicureans represented the gods of

the heathen sitting apart reckless of the weal or woe of men but intently watchful of the development of

things the ripening of good the gathering up of evil towards the day of sifting and judgment In a powerful

biblical image his eyes are in every place beholding the good and the evil And our thought to be in

harmony with his must in many matters and at many times fall into the mood of contemplation Instead of

seeking to theorize rashly upon the strange mixture of tendencies life at any troubled epoch presents it

were well to possess our souls in patiencemdashto look on and let both grow together till the harvest

3 His waiting attitude While there is clear heat in sunshine while there are clouds of dew in harvest-

heat he is waiting till the fruit of Assyrian annoyance is all but ripe The heat and the clouds of dew

hasten the powers in nature there are corresponding forces at work in the moral world seen by him to be

working towards certain results God can wait because he knows And may not we in a measure

compose our souls into that attitude of waiting Some things we too know about many others we can

say God knows and so leave them Especially so in times or in moods of alarm In the present case

men below see one picture of the future quite another is seen by God above To them a vast black cloud

is gathering over the horizon he sees the sun that will presently smite it asunder They see a fell harvest

of woe for themselves ripening he has the pruning-knife in his hand with which he will make havoc

among the growth They see an immense host of irresistible warriors he the birds of prey and the beasts

that will soon be feeding upon their remains Let us think of the immense reserves of force at the disposal

of Jehovah The statesman in times of alarm assures a trembling country that the resources of

civilization are not yet exhausted yet they have their limit Behind them lie the absolutely inexhaustible

resources of the living and eternal God Let our hearts be stayed on him and all will be well

III THE EFFECT ON ETHIOPIA They will bring a tribute to Jehovah Sabaoth to the Lord of hosts in his

seat on Mount Zion It is he who has done these things We find the like impressive picture passing

before a prophetic eye in Psa_6832 Kingdoms of splendor come out of Egypt Ethiopia stretches out

her hands to God The gathering of so glorious a people into the true Church is to be the result of the

manifestation of the power of Israels God

LESSONS

1 The providence of God over the Church He shows that he takes care of the Church and that though

he determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their powers In order therefore to excite them to patience

he not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation (Calvin)

2 The indestructibility of the spiritual life This must not be confounded with the institutions in which it

dwells for a time But understanding the Church in the spiritual or mystical sense it cannot perish

Calvin wrote in his day The Church is not far from despair being plundered scattered and everywhere

crushed and trodden underfoot What must be done in straits so numerous and so distressing We ought

to lay hold on these promises so as to believe that God will still preserve the Church The body may be

torn shivered into fragments and scattered still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will

never allow the remembrance and calling on his Name to perish

3 The self-concealment of God The trial of faith in all ages Oh that he would show his face bare his

arm disclose his majesty exert his power appear as Judge to end once for all the strifes of the world

But we must learn to say Gods in his heaven alls right with the world At the proper season he will

come forth If he instantly cut the wicked down and took them away like a sprouting blade of corn his

power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so fully ascertained as when he permits

them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may afterwards fall by their own weight or

like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-knives

4 The unity of religion the prophetic ideal Mount Zion was its ancient symbol for us it is not Rome nor

any other city or mountmdashit is the human heart with all its pathos its faith hope and love its regenerate

life and aspirations it is one spirit universal in mankindmdashJ

12 PULPIT ldquoThe patience of power

The most striking and distinctive truth this chapter contains is that of the patience of Divine power which

permits evil to rise and to mature and which at the right moment effectually intervenes But there are

other points beside this they aremdash

I THE MISDIRECTION OF HUMAN INTELLIGENCE Whatever may be the right translation and the true

application of these verses it is clear that reference is made to a warlike peoplemdasha people terrible to

their neighbors a people of command or treading underfoot aggressive and victorious It shows how

far we have fallen from our first estate and from the condition for which we were created that it does not

strike us as strange that this should be the description of a people that the number of nations whom it

characterizes is so great that we fail to identify the nation which is in the prophets vision Under sin it has

become common not to say natural that a nation should be terrible should be treading down or

crushing and full of commands to its neighbors But to how much better purpose might the strong

peoples of the earth devote their strength God has made rich provision for the peaceable and fruitful

exercise of our largest powers There are rivers and seas (Isa_182) for travelling exploration commerce

there is vegetation (bulrushes papyrus) which may be made to carry mens bodies or which by the

exercise of human ingenuity may be made to convey their thoughts to distant lands and remotest times

there is land and there are seeds there is sunshine and there is dew which can be made to produce

golden harvests that will satisfy mans wants and minister to his most refined tastes (Isa_184 Isa_185)

there are birds and beasts (Isa_186) with whose habits men may become intelligently familiar there is

wealth beneath the soil in precious metals which can not only be raised and collected to enrich the

homes of men but which can be conveyed as the tribute of piety to the house of the Lord (Isa_187)

But despising and neglecting such materials and such ambitions as these nations have aspired to rule

over othersmdashhave perfected themselves in all the arts and enginery of war have congratulated

themselves on nothing so much as in being terrible to those on the other side the river or across the

mountain range

II THE COMPLETENESS OF MANS OVERTHROW IN THE DAY OF DIVINE ANGER The destruction

threatened (Isa_185 Isa_186) probably refers to that of the army of Sennacherib but if the reference be

to some other national calamity it certainly points to an overthrow signal and fearful from which the

imagination turns away oppressed So has it been found both by individual men and nations that when

God arises to judgment their feeble defenses are scattered to the winds and their doom is utterly

irreversible by anything they can do to mend it (see Psa_21-12 6317-20 Psa_926 Psa_929)

III THE LESSON OF GODS JUDGMENTS The result in this case is seen in the bringing of a tribute to

the Lord (Isa_187) If God puts forth his power in overwhelming retribution it is chiefly if not wholly that

they who witness it (men or nations) may repent of their own misdeeds or impiety and may return unto

the Lord in penitence in prayer in consecration for the most acceptable present that can be brought

unto the Lord of hosts is the humbled believing obedient heart

IV THE PATIENCE OF DIVINE POWER (Isa_184) The Lord said I will fake my rest [I will be calm or

still] I will consider in my dwelling-place [I will look on from my habitation] like a clear heat upon herbs

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest God will not be provoked into hurried and impatient judgments

he will retain a Divine composure he will manifest the patience which belongs to conscious power the

heavens should be as still as on the calmest summer day while evil was working to its bitter end while sin

was advancing to its doom Here is a contrast to us and here are lessons for us We in our finite

feebleness are often impatient in spirit and hurried in action We are afraid that if we do not strike at

once we shall not have time to strike at all or that our resources of retribution will fall or that our

adversary will be out of our reach God can entertain no such fear and be affected by no such thought

1 All time is at his command

2 All resources are in his hands

3 The men (nations) whom he may find it needful to chastise can never be beyond the reach of his

power

Hence his calmness in place of our confusion his patience in contrast with our feverish restlessness

(1) Let not the wicked presume on Divine disregard God will put forth his hand in punishment at his own

chosen time

(2) Let not the righteous be surprised or disheartened by his delay he does not count time by our

chronometry he has not the reasons for haste which urge us to immediate action the hour of his merciful

intervention will arrive in timemdashC

2 which sends envoys by sea

in papyrus boats over the water

Go swift messengers

to a people tall and smooth-skinned

to a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by rivers

1BARNES ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors - That is ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send messengers What was the design of their thus sending ambassadors does not appear The prophet simply intimates the fact a fact by which they were well known It may have been for purposes of commerce or to seek protection Bochart renders the word translated lsquoambassadorsrsquo by ldquoimagesrdquo and supposes that it denotes an image of the god Osiris made of the papyrus but there

does not seem to be any reason for this opinion The word ציר tsıyr may mean an idol or image

as in Isa_4516 Psa_4915 But it usually denotes ambassadors or messengers Jos_94 Pro_2513 Pro_1317 Isa_579 Jer_4914 Oba_11

By the sea - What ldquoseardquo is here meant cannot be accurately determined The word lsquosearsquo (ים ya

m) is applied to various collections of water and may be used in reference to a sea a lake a

pond and even a large river It is often applied to the Mediterranean and where the phrase ldquoGreat Seardquo occurs it denotes that Num_346-7 Deu_1124 It is applied to the Lake of Gennesareth or the Sea of Galilee Num_3411 to the Salt Sea Gen_143 to the Red Sea often (Exo_1310 Num_1425 Num_214 Num_3310 ldquoet alrdquo) It is also applied to ldquoa large riverrdquo as ldquoe g the Nilerdquo Isa_195 Neh_38 and to the Euphrates Jer_5136 So far as this ldquowordrdquo is concerned therefore it may denote either the Mediterranean the Red Sea the Nile or the Euphrates If the country spoken of is Upper Egypt or Nubia then we are naturally led to suppose that the prophet refers either to the Nile or the Red Sea

Even in vessels of bulrushes - The word rendered lsquobulrushesrsquo (גמא gome) is derived from

the verb גמא gama ldquoto swallow sip drinkrdquo and is given to a reed or bulrush from its ldquoimbibingrdquo

water It is usually applied in the Scriptures to the Egyptian ldquopapyrusrdquo - a plant which grew on the banks of the Nile and from which we have derived our word ldquopaperrdquo lsquoThis plantrsquo says Taylor (ldquoHeb Conrdquo) lsquogrew in moist places near the Nile and was four or five yards in height Under the bark it consisted wholly of thin skins which being separated and spread out were applied to various uses Of these they made boxes and chests and even boats smearing them over with pitchrsquo These laminoe or skins also served the purpose of paper and were used instead of parchment or plates of lead and copper for writing on This plant the Cyperus Papyrus of modern botanists mostly grew in Lower Egypt in marshy land or in shallow brooks and ponds formed by the inundation of the Nile lsquoThe papyrusrsquo says Pliny lsquogrows in the marsh lands of Egypt or in the stagnant pools left inland by the Nile after it has returned to its bed which have not more than two cubits in depth

The root of the plant is the thickness of a manrsquos arm it has a triangular stalk growing not higher than ten cubits (fifteen feet) and decreasing in breadth toward the summit which is crowned with a thyrsus containing no seeds and of no use except to deck the statues of the gods They employ the roots as firewood and for making various utensils They even construct small boats of the plant and out of the rind sails mats clothes bedding ropes they eat it either crude or cooked swallowing only the juice and when they manufacture paper from it they divide the stem by means of a kind of needle into thin plates or laminae each of which is as large as the plant will admit All the paper is woven upon a table and is continually moistened with Nile water which being thick and slimy furnishes an effectual species of glue In the first place they form upon a table pefectly horizontal a layer the whole length of the papyrus which is crossed by another placed transversely and afterward enclosed within a press

The different sheets are then hung in a situation exposed to the sun in order to dry and the process is finally completed by joining them together beginning with the best There are seldom more than twenty slips or stripes produced from one stem of the plantrsquo (Pliny xiii 11 12) Wilkinson remarks that lsquothe mode of making papyri was this the interior of the stalks of the plant after the rind had been removed was cut into thin slices in the direction of their length and these being laid on a flat board in succession similar slices were placed over them at right angles and their surfaces being cemented together by a sort of glue and subjected to the proper deuce of pressure and well dried the papyrus was completedrsquo (ldquoAncient Egyptiansrdquo vol iii p 148) The word used here is translated lsquobulrushesrsquo in Exo_23 where the little ark is described in which Moses was laid near the Nile the lsquorushrsquo in Job_811 and lsquorushesrsquo in Isa_357

It does not elsewhere occur That the ancients were in the practice of making light boats or vessels from the papyrus is well known Thus Theophrastus (in the ldquoHistory of Plantsrdquo iv 9)

says that lsquothe papyrus is useful for many things for from this they make vesselsrsquo or ships (πλοeα

ploia) Thus Pliny (xiii 11 22) says ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt - lsquofrom the papyrus

they weave vesselsrsquo Again (vi 56 57) lsquoEven nowrsquo says he lsquoin the Britannic Ocean useful vessels are made of bark on the Nile from the papyrus and from reeds and rushesrsquo Plutarch describes Isis going in search of the body of Osiris lsquothrough the fenny country in a bark made of the

papyrus (fνβαριδιπαπυοινη en baridi papnoine) where it is supposed that persons using boats of

this description (fνπαπυρινοιςhκαφεσιπλωοντας en papurinois okaphisi pleontas) are never attacked by crocodiles out of respect to the goddessrsquo (De Isa_181-7) Moses also it will be remembered was exposed on the banks of the Nile in a similar boat or ark lsquoShe took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it With slime and with pitch and put the child thereinrsquo Exo_23

The same word occurs here (גמא gome) which is used by Isaiah and this fact shows that such boats were known as early as the time of Moses Lucan also mentions boats made of the papyrus at Memphis

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro - Phar iv 136

At Memphis boats are woven together from the marshy papyrus

The sculptures of Thebes Memphis and other places abundantly show that they were employed as punts or canoes for fishing in all parts of Egypt during the inundation of the Nilersquo (Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians vol iii p 186) In our own country also it will be remembered the natives were accustomed to make canoes or vessels of the bark of the birch with which they

often adventured on even dangerous navigation The circumstance here mentioned of the גמא go

me (the papyrus) seems to fix the scene of this prophecy to the region of the Nile This reed

grew nowhere else and it is natural therefore to suppose that some nation living near the Nile is intended Taylor the editor of Calmet has shown that the inhabitants of the upper regions of the Nile were accustomed to form floats of hollow earthen vessels and to weave them together with rushes and thus to convey them to Lower Egypt to market He supposes that by lsquovessels of bulrushesrsquo or rush floats are meant such vessels (For a description of the ldquofloatsrdquo made in Upper Egypt with ldquojarsrdquo see Pocockersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo vol i p 84 Ed London 1743) lsquoI first saw in this voyage (on the Nile) the large floats of earthen-ware they are about thirty feet wide and sixty feet long being a frame of palm boughs tied together about four feet deep on which they put a layer of large jars with the mouths uppermost on these they make another floor and then put on another layer of jars and so a third which last are so disposed as to trim the float and leave room for the men to go between The float lies across the river one end being lower down than the other toward the lower end on each side they have four long poles with which they row and direct the boat as well as forward the motion downrsquo Mr Bruce in his ldquoTravelsrdquo mentions vessels made of the papyrus in Abyssinia

Upon the waters - The waters of the Nile or the Red Sea

Saying - This word is not in the Hebrew and the introduction of it by the translators gives a peculiar and probably an incorrect sense to the whole passage As it stands here it would seem to be the language of the inhabitants of the land who sent the ambassadors usually saying to their messengers to go to a distant nation and this introduces an inquiry into the characteristics of the nation to ldquowhomrdquo the ambassadors are sent as if it were a ldquodifferentrdquo people from those who are mentioned in Isa_171 But probably the words which follow are to be regarded as the words of the prophet or of God Isa_174 giving commandment to those messengers to ldquoreturnrdquo to those who sent them and deliver the message which follows lsquoYou send messengers to distant nations in reed boats upon the rivers Return says God to the land which sent you foth and

announce to them the will of God Go rapidly in your light vessels and bear this message for it shall speedily be executed and I will sit calmly and see it donersquo Isa_174-6 A remarkably similar passage which throws great light on this occurs in Eze_309 lsquoIn that day shall messengers go forth from me (God) in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it comethrsquo

Go ye swift messengers - Hebrew lsquoLight messengersrsquo This is evidently addressed to the boats Achilles Tatius says that they were frequently so light and small that they would carry but one person (Rosenmuller)

To a nation - What nation this was is not known The ldquoobviousrdquo import of the passge is that it was some nation to whom they were ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send ambassadors and that it is here added merely as ldquodescriptiverdquo of the people Two or three characterstics of the nation are mentioned from which we may better learn what people are referred to

Scattered - (ממשך memushak) This word is derived from משך mashak ldquoto seize take hold fastrdquo to draw out extend or prolong to make double or strong to spread out The Septuagint

renders it kθνοςmicroετέωρον Ethnos meteoron - lsquoA lofty nationrsquo Chaldee lsquoA people suffering violencersquo Syraic lsquoA nation distortedrsquo Vulgate lsquoA people convulsed and laceratedrsquo It ldquomayrdquo denote a people ldquospread outrdquo over a great extent of country or a people ldquodrawn out in lengthrdquo - that is extended over a country of considerable length but of comparatively narrow breadth as Egypt is so Vitringa understands it Or it may mean a people ldquostrong valiantrdquo so Gesenius understands it This best suits the connection as being a people lsquoterrible hithertorsquo Perhaps all these ideas may be united by the supposition that the nation was drawn out or extended over a large region and was ldquothereforerdquo a powerful or mighty people The idea of its being ldquoscatteredrdquo is not in the text Taylor renders it lsquoA people of short stature contracted in height that is dwarfsrsquo But the idea in the text is not one that is descriptive of ldquoindividualsrdquo but of the ldquocollectedrdquo nation the people

And peeled - (מרט moratʖ from מרט maratʖ) to make smooth or sharpen as a swordrdquo Ezek

2114-32 then to make smooth the head of any one to pluck off his hair Ezr_93 Neh_1325

Isa_506) The Septuagint renders it Ξένονλαpνκαχαλεπόν Cenon laon kai chalepon - lsquoA foreign and wicked peoplersquo Vulgate lsquoTo a people laceratedrsquo The Syriac renders the whole verse lsquoGo swift messengers to a people perverse and torn to a people whose strength has been long since taken away a people defiled and trodden down whose land the rivers have spoiledrsquo The word used here is capable of two significations

(1) It may denote a people who are shaved or made smooth by removing the hair from the body It is known to have been the custom with the Egyptians to make their bodies smooth by shaving off the hair as Herodotus testifies (xi 37) Or

(2) It may be translated as Gesenius proposes a people valiant fierce bold from the sense which the verb has ldquoto sharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115-16

The former is the most obvious interpretation and agrees best with the proper meaning of the Hebrew word the latter would perhaps better suit the connection The editor of Calmer supposes that it is to be taken in the sense of ldquodiminished small dwarfishrdquo and would apply it to the ldquopigmiesrdquo of Upper Egypt

To a people terrible - That is warlike fierce cruel Hebrew lsquoA people fearedrsquo If the Egyptians are meant it may refer to the fact that they had always been an object of terror and alarm to the Israelites from their early oppressions there before their deliverance under Moses

From their beginning hitherto - Hebrew lsquoFrom this time and formerlyrsquo It has been their general character that they were a fierce harsh oppressive nation Gesenius however renders this lsquoTo the formidable nation (and) further beyondrsquo and supposes that two nations are referred

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

11 PULPIT ldquoHomage of Ethiopia to Jehovah

I AGITATION IN ETHIOPIA The oracle opens with a scene full of life Hosts of Egyptian and Ethiopian

warriors are seen like buzzing swarms of flies moving to and fro Messengers are speeding in papyrus

boats to announce the approach of the Assyrians The Ethiopians are described as a nation tall and

polished terrible strong and all-subduing whose land rivers cut through A sense of mystery and

greatness hung about this and from the earliest timesmdashthe land of the source of the Nile opened up by

our countryman Spoke and others The prophet lifts up his voice to this people A signal will be seen on

the mountains the blast of a trumpet will be heard There will be symptoms of the Divine presence

restraining overruling the wrath of men for ends of Divine wisdom When wars are carried on every one

sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the beginning and end of them to chance

On the other hand Isaiah shows that all these things ought to be ascribed to God because he will display

his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he works so as to conceal his hand and to

prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he displays his hand in it in such a manner

that all men are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the prophet meant (Calvin)

II THE WAITING OF JEHOVAH Impressive is the contrast between the noise and stir and agitation

below and the calmness above Jehovah will be stillmdashas the blue sky behind a moving host of clouds

above a surging sea below In the second psalm we have the picture of him sitting in the heavens and

laughing at the vain attempts of the enemies of the Messianic kingdom There are three thoughts here

1 The repose of God It seems as if we must ever contemplate him resting from his toils of designing and

creating and providingmdashentered on an eternal sabbath The consciousness of vast force sleeping held

in reserve we must conceive of in God Hence his stillness amidst our excitement At times when vague

movements are passing through the bosom of society many voices rend the air with opposing cries deep

questions agitate the heart and conscience of thoughtful men We long to hear the one infallible voice to

see the signal extended and yet God speaks not a word Perhaps it may be said a still small voice

saying Be still and know that I am God may be heard by acuter spiritual ears His stillness must be the

effect of infinite strength and profoundest confidence

2 His contemplativeness He looks on in his mansion Not as the Epicureans represented the gods of

the heathen sitting apart reckless of the weal or woe of men but intently watchful of the development of

things the ripening of good the gathering up of evil towards the day of sifting and judgment In a powerful

biblical image his eyes are in every place beholding the good and the evil And our thought to be in

harmony with his must in many matters and at many times fall into the mood of contemplation Instead of

seeking to theorize rashly upon the strange mixture of tendencies life at any troubled epoch presents it

were well to possess our souls in patiencemdashto look on and let both grow together till the harvest

3 His waiting attitude While there is clear heat in sunshine while there are clouds of dew in harvest-

heat he is waiting till the fruit of Assyrian annoyance is all but ripe The heat and the clouds of dew

hasten the powers in nature there are corresponding forces at work in the moral world seen by him to be

working towards certain results God can wait because he knows And may not we in a measure

compose our souls into that attitude of waiting Some things we too know about many others we can

say God knows and so leave them Especially so in times or in moods of alarm In the present case

men below see one picture of the future quite another is seen by God above To them a vast black cloud

is gathering over the horizon he sees the sun that will presently smite it asunder They see a fell harvest

of woe for themselves ripening he has the pruning-knife in his hand with which he will make havoc

among the growth They see an immense host of irresistible warriors he the birds of prey and the beasts

that will soon be feeding upon their remains Let us think of the immense reserves of force at the disposal

of Jehovah The statesman in times of alarm assures a trembling country that the resources of

civilization are not yet exhausted yet they have their limit Behind them lie the absolutely inexhaustible

resources of the living and eternal God Let our hearts be stayed on him and all will be well

III THE EFFECT ON ETHIOPIA They will bring a tribute to Jehovah Sabaoth to the Lord of hosts in his

seat on Mount Zion It is he who has done these things We find the like impressive picture passing

before a prophetic eye in Psa_6832 Kingdoms of splendor come out of Egypt Ethiopia stretches out

her hands to God The gathering of so glorious a people into the true Church is to be the result of the

manifestation of the power of Israels God

LESSONS

1 The providence of God over the Church He shows that he takes care of the Church and that though

he determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their powers In order therefore to excite them to patience

he not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation (Calvin)

2 The indestructibility of the spiritual life This must not be confounded with the institutions in which it

dwells for a time But understanding the Church in the spiritual or mystical sense it cannot perish

Calvin wrote in his day The Church is not far from despair being plundered scattered and everywhere

crushed and trodden underfoot What must be done in straits so numerous and so distressing We ought

to lay hold on these promises so as to believe that God will still preserve the Church The body may be

torn shivered into fragments and scattered still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will

never allow the remembrance and calling on his Name to perish

3 The self-concealment of God The trial of faith in all ages Oh that he would show his face bare his

arm disclose his majesty exert his power appear as Judge to end once for all the strifes of the world

But we must learn to say Gods in his heaven alls right with the world At the proper season he will

come forth If he instantly cut the wicked down and took them away like a sprouting blade of corn his

power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so fully ascertained as when he permits

them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may afterwards fall by their own weight or

like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-knives

4 The unity of religion the prophetic ideal Mount Zion was its ancient symbol for us it is not Rome nor

any other city or mountmdashit is the human heart with all its pathos its faith hope and love its regenerate

life and aspirations it is one spirit universal in mankindmdashJ

12 PULPIT ldquoThe patience of power

The most striking and distinctive truth this chapter contains is that of the patience of Divine power which

permits evil to rise and to mature and which at the right moment effectually intervenes But there are

other points beside this they aremdash

I THE MISDIRECTION OF HUMAN INTELLIGENCE Whatever may be the right translation and the true

application of these verses it is clear that reference is made to a warlike peoplemdasha people terrible to

their neighbors a people of command or treading underfoot aggressive and victorious It shows how

far we have fallen from our first estate and from the condition for which we were created that it does not

strike us as strange that this should be the description of a people that the number of nations whom it

characterizes is so great that we fail to identify the nation which is in the prophets vision Under sin it has

become common not to say natural that a nation should be terrible should be treading down or

crushing and full of commands to its neighbors But to how much better purpose might the strong

peoples of the earth devote their strength God has made rich provision for the peaceable and fruitful

exercise of our largest powers There are rivers and seas (Isa_182) for travelling exploration commerce

there is vegetation (bulrushes papyrus) which may be made to carry mens bodies or which by the

exercise of human ingenuity may be made to convey their thoughts to distant lands and remotest times

there is land and there are seeds there is sunshine and there is dew which can be made to produce

golden harvests that will satisfy mans wants and minister to his most refined tastes (Isa_184 Isa_185)

there are birds and beasts (Isa_186) with whose habits men may become intelligently familiar there is

wealth beneath the soil in precious metals which can not only be raised and collected to enrich the

homes of men but which can be conveyed as the tribute of piety to the house of the Lord (Isa_187)

But despising and neglecting such materials and such ambitions as these nations have aspired to rule

over othersmdashhave perfected themselves in all the arts and enginery of war have congratulated

themselves on nothing so much as in being terrible to those on the other side the river or across the

mountain range

II THE COMPLETENESS OF MANS OVERTHROW IN THE DAY OF DIVINE ANGER The destruction

threatened (Isa_185 Isa_186) probably refers to that of the army of Sennacherib but if the reference be

to some other national calamity it certainly points to an overthrow signal and fearful from which the

imagination turns away oppressed So has it been found both by individual men and nations that when

God arises to judgment their feeble defenses are scattered to the winds and their doom is utterly

irreversible by anything they can do to mend it (see Psa_21-12 6317-20 Psa_926 Psa_929)

III THE LESSON OF GODS JUDGMENTS The result in this case is seen in the bringing of a tribute to

the Lord (Isa_187) If God puts forth his power in overwhelming retribution it is chiefly if not wholly that

they who witness it (men or nations) may repent of their own misdeeds or impiety and may return unto

the Lord in penitence in prayer in consecration for the most acceptable present that can be brought

unto the Lord of hosts is the humbled believing obedient heart

IV THE PATIENCE OF DIVINE POWER (Isa_184) The Lord said I will fake my rest [I will be calm or

still] I will consider in my dwelling-place [I will look on from my habitation] like a clear heat upon herbs

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest God will not be provoked into hurried and impatient judgments

he will retain a Divine composure he will manifest the patience which belongs to conscious power the

heavens should be as still as on the calmest summer day while evil was working to its bitter end while sin

was advancing to its doom Here is a contrast to us and here are lessons for us We in our finite

feebleness are often impatient in spirit and hurried in action We are afraid that if we do not strike at

once we shall not have time to strike at all or that our resources of retribution will fall or that our

adversary will be out of our reach God can entertain no such fear and be affected by no such thought

1 All time is at his command

2 All resources are in his hands

3 The men (nations) whom he may find it needful to chastise can never be beyond the reach of his

power

Hence his calmness in place of our confusion his patience in contrast with our feverish restlessness

(1) Let not the wicked presume on Divine disregard God will put forth his hand in punishment at his own

chosen time

(2) Let not the righteous be surprised or disheartened by his delay he does not count time by our

chronometry he has not the reasons for haste which urge us to immediate action the hour of his merciful

intervention will arrive in timemdashC

2 which sends envoys by sea

in papyrus boats over the water

Go swift messengers

to a people tall and smooth-skinned

to a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by rivers

1BARNES ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors - That is ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send messengers What was the design of their thus sending ambassadors does not appear The prophet simply intimates the fact a fact by which they were well known It may have been for purposes of commerce or to seek protection Bochart renders the word translated lsquoambassadorsrsquo by ldquoimagesrdquo and supposes that it denotes an image of the god Osiris made of the papyrus but there

does not seem to be any reason for this opinion The word ציר tsıyr may mean an idol or image

as in Isa_4516 Psa_4915 But it usually denotes ambassadors or messengers Jos_94 Pro_2513 Pro_1317 Isa_579 Jer_4914 Oba_11

By the sea - What ldquoseardquo is here meant cannot be accurately determined The word lsquosearsquo (ים ya

m) is applied to various collections of water and may be used in reference to a sea a lake a

pond and even a large river It is often applied to the Mediterranean and where the phrase ldquoGreat Seardquo occurs it denotes that Num_346-7 Deu_1124 It is applied to the Lake of Gennesareth or the Sea of Galilee Num_3411 to the Salt Sea Gen_143 to the Red Sea often (Exo_1310 Num_1425 Num_214 Num_3310 ldquoet alrdquo) It is also applied to ldquoa large riverrdquo as ldquoe g the Nilerdquo Isa_195 Neh_38 and to the Euphrates Jer_5136 So far as this ldquowordrdquo is concerned therefore it may denote either the Mediterranean the Red Sea the Nile or the Euphrates If the country spoken of is Upper Egypt or Nubia then we are naturally led to suppose that the prophet refers either to the Nile or the Red Sea

Even in vessels of bulrushes - The word rendered lsquobulrushesrsquo (גמא gome) is derived from

the verb גמא gama ldquoto swallow sip drinkrdquo and is given to a reed or bulrush from its ldquoimbibingrdquo

water It is usually applied in the Scriptures to the Egyptian ldquopapyrusrdquo - a plant which grew on the banks of the Nile and from which we have derived our word ldquopaperrdquo lsquoThis plantrsquo says Taylor (ldquoHeb Conrdquo) lsquogrew in moist places near the Nile and was four or five yards in height Under the bark it consisted wholly of thin skins which being separated and spread out were applied to various uses Of these they made boxes and chests and even boats smearing them over with pitchrsquo These laminoe or skins also served the purpose of paper and were used instead of parchment or plates of lead and copper for writing on This plant the Cyperus Papyrus of modern botanists mostly grew in Lower Egypt in marshy land or in shallow brooks and ponds formed by the inundation of the Nile lsquoThe papyrusrsquo says Pliny lsquogrows in the marsh lands of Egypt or in the stagnant pools left inland by the Nile after it has returned to its bed which have not more than two cubits in depth

The root of the plant is the thickness of a manrsquos arm it has a triangular stalk growing not higher than ten cubits (fifteen feet) and decreasing in breadth toward the summit which is crowned with a thyrsus containing no seeds and of no use except to deck the statues of the gods They employ the roots as firewood and for making various utensils They even construct small boats of the plant and out of the rind sails mats clothes bedding ropes they eat it either crude or cooked swallowing only the juice and when they manufacture paper from it they divide the stem by means of a kind of needle into thin plates or laminae each of which is as large as the plant will admit All the paper is woven upon a table and is continually moistened with Nile water which being thick and slimy furnishes an effectual species of glue In the first place they form upon a table pefectly horizontal a layer the whole length of the papyrus which is crossed by another placed transversely and afterward enclosed within a press

The different sheets are then hung in a situation exposed to the sun in order to dry and the process is finally completed by joining them together beginning with the best There are seldom more than twenty slips or stripes produced from one stem of the plantrsquo (Pliny xiii 11 12) Wilkinson remarks that lsquothe mode of making papyri was this the interior of the stalks of the plant after the rind had been removed was cut into thin slices in the direction of their length and these being laid on a flat board in succession similar slices were placed over them at right angles and their surfaces being cemented together by a sort of glue and subjected to the proper deuce of pressure and well dried the papyrus was completedrsquo (ldquoAncient Egyptiansrdquo vol iii p 148) The word used here is translated lsquobulrushesrsquo in Exo_23 where the little ark is described in which Moses was laid near the Nile the lsquorushrsquo in Job_811 and lsquorushesrsquo in Isa_357

It does not elsewhere occur That the ancients were in the practice of making light boats or vessels from the papyrus is well known Thus Theophrastus (in the ldquoHistory of Plantsrdquo iv 9)

says that lsquothe papyrus is useful for many things for from this they make vesselsrsquo or ships (πλοeα

ploia) Thus Pliny (xiii 11 22) says ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt - lsquofrom the papyrus

they weave vesselsrsquo Again (vi 56 57) lsquoEven nowrsquo says he lsquoin the Britannic Ocean useful vessels are made of bark on the Nile from the papyrus and from reeds and rushesrsquo Plutarch describes Isis going in search of the body of Osiris lsquothrough the fenny country in a bark made of the

papyrus (fνβαριδιπαπυοινη en baridi papnoine) where it is supposed that persons using boats of

this description (fνπαπυρινοιςhκαφεσιπλωοντας en papurinois okaphisi pleontas) are never attacked by crocodiles out of respect to the goddessrsquo (De Isa_181-7) Moses also it will be remembered was exposed on the banks of the Nile in a similar boat or ark lsquoShe took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it With slime and with pitch and put the child thereinrsquo Exo_23

The same word occurs here (גמא gome) which is used by Isaiah and this fact shows that such boats were known as early as the time of Moses Lucan also mentions boats made of the papyrus at Memphis

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro - Phar iv 136

At Memphis boats are woven together from the marshy papyrus

The sculptures of Thebes Memphis and other places abundantly show that they were employed as punts or canoes for fishing in all parts of Egypt during the inundation of the Nilersquo (Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians vol iii p 186) In our own country also it will be remembered the natives were accustomed to make canoes or vessels of the bark of the birch with which they

often adventured on even dangerous navigation The circumstance here mentioned of the גמא go

me (the papyrus) seems to fix the scene of this prophecy to the region of the Nile This reed

grew nowhere else and it is natural therefore to suppose that some nation living near the Nile is intended Taylor the editor of Calmet has shown that the inhabitants of the upper regions of the Nile were accustomed to form floats of hollow earthen vessels and to weave them together with rushes and thus to convey them to Lower Egypt to market He supposes that by lsquovessels of bulrushesrsquo or rush floats are meant such vessels (For a description of the ldquofloatsrdquo made in Upper Egypt with ldquojarsrdquo see Pocockersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo vol i p 84 Ed London 1743) lsquoI first saw in this voyage (on the Nile) the large floats of earthen-ware they are about thirty feet wide and sixty feet long being a frame of palm boughs tied together about four feet deep on which they put a layer of large jars with the mouths uppermost on these they make another floor and then put on another layer of jars and so a third which last are so disposed as to trim the float and leave room for the men to go between The float lies across the river one end being lower down than the other toward the lower end on each side they have four long poles with which they row and direct the boat as well as forward the motion downrsquo Mr Bruce in his ldquoTravelsrdquo mentions vessels made of the papyrus in Abyssinia

Upon the waters - The waters of the Nile or the Red Sea

Saying - This word is not in the Hebrew and the introduction of it by the translators gives a peculiar and probably an incorrect sense to the whole passage As it stands here it would seem to be the language of the inhabitants of the land who sent the ambassadors usually saying to their messengers to go to a distant nation and this introduces an inquiry into the characteristics of the nation to ldquowhomrdquo the ambassadors are sent as if it were a ldquodifferentrdquo people from those who are mentioned in Isa_171 But probably the words which follow are to be regarded as the words of the prophet or of God Isa_174 giving commandment to those messengers to ldquoreturnrdquo to those who sent them and deliver the message which follows lsquoYou send messengers to distant nations in reed boats upon the rivers Return says God to the land which sent you foth and

announce to them the will of God Go rapidly in your light vessels and bear this message for it shall speedily be executed and I will sit calmly and see it donersquo Isa_174-6 A remarkably similar passage which throws great light on this occurs in Eze_309 lsquoIn that day shall messengers go forth from me (God) in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it comethrsquo

Go ye swift messengers - Hebrew lsquoLight messengersrsquo This is evidently addressed to the boats Achilles Tatius says that they were frequently so light and small that they would carry but one person (Rosenmuller)

To a nation - What nation this was is not known The ldquoobviousrdquo import of the passge is that it was some nation to whom they were ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send ambassadors and that it is here added merely as ldquodescriptiverdquo of the people Two or three characterstics of the nation are mentioned from which we may better learn what people are referred to

Scattered - (ממשך memushak) This word is derived from משך mashak ldquoto seize take hold fastrdquo to draw out extend or prolong to make double or strong to spread out The Septuagint

renders it kθνοςmicroετέωρον Ethnos meteoron - lsquoA lofty nationrsquo Chaldee lsquoA people suffering violencersquo Syraic lsquoA nation distortedrsquo Vulgate lsquoA people convulsed and laceratedrsquo It ldquomayrdquo denote a people ldquospread outrdquo over a great extent of country or a people ldquodrawn out in lengthrdquo - that is extended over a country of considerable length but of comparatively narrow breadth as Egypt is so Vitringa understands it Or it may mean a people ldquostrong valiantrdquo so Gesenius understands it This best suits the connection as being a people lsquoterrible hithertorsquo Perhaps all these ideas may be united by the supposition that the nation was drawn out or extended over a large region and was ldquothereforerdquo a powerful or mighty people The idea of its being ldquoscatteredrdquo is not in the text Taylor renders it lsquoA people of short stature contracted in height that is dwarfsrsquo But the idea in the text is not one that is descriptive of ldquoindividualsrdquo but of the ldquocollectedrdquo nation the people

And peeled - (מרט moratʖ from מרט maratʖ) to make smooth or sharpen as a swordrdquo Ezek

2114-32 then to make smooth the head of any one to pluck off his hair Ezr_93 Neh_1325

Isa_506) The Septuagint renders it Ξένονλαpνκαχαλεπόν Cenon laon kai chalepon - lsquoA foreign and wicked peoplersquo Vulgate lsquoTo a people laceratedrsquo The Syriac renders the whole verse lsquoGo swift messengers to a people perverse and torn to a people whose strength has been long since taken away a people defiled and trodden down whose land the rivers have spoiledrsquo The word used here is capable of two significations

(1) It may denote a people who are shaved or made smooth by removing the hair from the body It is known to have been the custom with the Egyptians to make their bodies smooth by shaving off the hair as Herodotus testifies (xi 37) Or

(2) It may be translated as Gesenius proposes a people valiant fierce bold from the sense which the verb has ldquoto sharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115-16

The former is the most obvious interpretation and agrees best with the proper meaning of the Hebrew word the latter would perhaps better suit the connection The editor of Calmer supposes that it is to be taken in the sense of ldquodiminished small dwarfishrdquo and would apply it to the ldquopigmiesrdquo of Upper Egypt

To a people terrible - That is warlike fierce cruel Hebrew lsquoA people fearedrsquo If the Egyptians are meant it may refer to the fact that they had always been an object of terror and alarm to the Israelites from their early oppressions there before their deliverance under Moses

From their beginning hitherto - Hebrew lsquoFrom this time and formerlyrsquo It has been their general character that they were a fierce harsh oppressive nation Gesenius however renders this lsquoTo the formidable nation (and) further beyondrsquo and supposes that two nations are referred

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

harmony with his must in many matters and at many times fall into the mood of contemplation Instead of

seeking to theorize rashly upon the strange mixture of tendencies life at any troubled epoch presents it

were well to possess our souls in patiencemdashto look on and let both grow together till the harvest

3 His waiting attitude While there is clear heat in sunshine while there are clouds of dew in harvest-

heat he is waiting till the fruit of Assyrian annoyance is all but ripe The heat and the clouds of dew

hasten the powers in nature there are corresponding forces at work in the moral world seen by him to be

working towards certain results God can wait because he knows And may not we in a measure

compose our souls into that attitude of waiting Some things we too know about many others we can

say God knows and so leave them Especially so in times or in moods of alarm In the present case

men below see one picture of the future quite another is seen by God above To them a vast black cloud

is gathering over the horizon he sees the sun that will presently smite it asunder They see a fell harvest

of woe for themselves ripening he has the pruning-knife in his hand with which he will make havoc

among the growth They see an immense host of irresistible warriors he the birds of prey and the beasts

that will soon be feeding upon their remains Let us think of the immense reserves of force at the disposal

of Jehovah The statesman in times of alarm assures a trembling country that the resources of

civilization are not yet exhausted yet they have their limit Behind them lie the absolutely inexhaustible

resources of the living and eternal God Let our hearts be stayed on him and all will be well

III THE EFFECT ON ETHIOPIA They will bring a tribute to Jehovah Sabaoth to the Lord of hosts in his

seat on Mount Zion It is he who has done these things We find the like impressive picture passing

before a prophetic eye in Psa_6832 Kingdoms of splendor come out of Egypt Ethiopia stretches out

her hands to God The gathering of so glorious a people into the true Church is to be the result of the

manifestation of the power of Israels God

LESSONS

1 The providence of God over the Church He shows that he takes care of the Church and that though

he determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their powers In order therefore to excite them to patience

he not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation (Calvin)

2 The indestructibility of the spiritual life This must not be confounded with the institutions in which it

dwells for a time But understanding the Church in the spiritual or mystical sense it cannot perish

Calvin wrote in his day The Church is not far from despair being plundered scattered and everywhere

crushed and trodden underfoot What must be done in straits so numerous and so distressing We ought

to lay hold on these promises so as to believe that God will still preserve the Church The body may be

torn shivered into fragments and scattered still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will

never allow the remembrance and calling on his Name to perish

3 The self-concealment of God The trial of faith in all ages Oh that he would show his face bare his

arm disclose his majesty exert his power appear as Judge to end once for all the strifes of the world

But we must learn to say Gods in his heaven alls right with the world At the proper season he will

come forth If he instantly cut the wicked down and took them away like a sprouting blade of corn his

power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so fully ascertained as when he permits

them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may afterwards fall by their own weight or

like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-knives

4 The unity of religion the prophetic ideal Mount Zion was its ancient symbol for us it is not Rome nor

any other city or mountmdashit is the human heart with all its pathos its faith hope and love its regenerate

life and aspirations it is one spirit universal in mankindmdashJ

12 PULPIT ldquoThe patience of power

The most striking and distinctive truth this chapter contains is that of the patience of Divine power which

permits evil to rise and to mature and which at the right moment effectually intervenes But there are

other points beside this they aremdash

I THE MISDIRECTION OF HUMAN INTELLIGENCE Whatever may be the right translation and the true

application of these verses it is clear that reference is made to a warlike peoplemdasha people terrible to

their neighbors a people of command or treading underfoot aggressive and victorious It shows how

far we have fallen from our first estate and from the condition for which we were created that it does not

strike us as strange that this should be the description of a people that the number of nations whom it

characterizes is so great that we fail to identify the nation which is in the prophets vision Under sin it has

become common not to say natural that a nation should be terrible should be treading down or

crushing and full of commands to its neighbors But to how much better purpose might the strong

peoples of the earth devote their strength God has made rich provision for the peaceable and fruitful

exercise of our largest powers There are rivers and seas (Isa_182) for travelling exploration commerce

there is vegetation (bulrushes papyrus) which may be made to carry mens bodies or which by the

exercise of human ingenuity may be made to convey their thoughts to distant lands and remotest times

there is land and there are seeds there is sunshine and there is dew which can be made to produce

golden harvests that will satisfy mans wants and minister to his most refined tastes (Isa_184 Isa_185)

there are birds and beasts (Isa_186) with whose habits men may become intelligently familiar there is

wealth beneath the soil in precious metals which can not only be raised and collected to enrich the

homes of men but which can be conveyed as the tribute of piety to the house of the Lord (Isa_187)

But despising and neglecting such materials and such ambitions as these nations have aspired to rule

over othersmdashhave perfected themselves in all the arts and enginery of war have congratulated

themselves on nothing so much as in being terrible to those on the other side the river or across the

mountain range

II THE COMPLETENESS OF MANS OVERTHROW IN THE DAY OF DIVINE ANGER The destruction

threatened (Isa_185 Isa_186) probably refers to that of the army of Sennacherib but if the reference be

to some other national calamity it certainly points to an overthrow signal and fearful from which the

imagination turns away oppressed So has it been found both by individual men and nations that when

God arises to judgment their feeble defenses are scattered to the winds and their doom is utterly

irreversible by anything they can do to mend it (see Psa_21-12 6317-20 Psa_926 Psa_929)

III THE LESSON OF GODS JUDGMENTS The result in this case is seen in the bringing of a tribute to

the Lord (Isa_187) If God puts forth his power in overwhelming retribution it is chiefly if not wholly that

they who witness it (men or nations) may repent of their own misdeeds or impiety and may return unto

the Lord in penitence in prayer in consecration for the most acceptable present that can be brought

unto the Lord of hosts is the humbled believing obedient heart

IV THE PATIENCE OF DIVINE POWER (Isa_184) The Lord said I will fake my rest [I will be calm or

still] I will consider in my dwelling-place [I will look on from my habitation] like a clear heat upon herbs

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest God will not be provoked into hurried and impatient judgments

he will retain a Divine composure he will manifest the patience which belongs to conscious power the

heavens should be as still as on the calmest summer day while evil was working to its bitter end while sin

was advancing to its doom Here is a contrast to us and here are lessons for us We in our finite

feebleness are often impatient in spirit and hurried in action We are afraid that if we do not strike at

once we shall not have time to strike at all or that our resources of retribution will fall or that our

adversary will be out of our reach God can entertain no such fear and be affected by no such thought

1 All time is at his command

2 All resources are in his hands

3 The men (nations) whom he may find it needful to chastise can never be beyond the reach of his

power

Hence his calmness in place of our confusion his patience in contrast with our feverish restlessness

(1) Let not the wicked presume on Divine disregard God will put forth his hand in punishment at his own

chosen time

(2) Let not the righteous be surprised or disheartened by his delay he does not count time by our

chronometry he has not the reasons for haste which urge us to immediate action the hour of his merciful

intervention will arrive in timemdashC

2 which sends envoys by sea

in papyrus boats over the water

Go swift messengers

to a people tall and smooth-skinned

to a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by rivers

1BARNES ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors - That is ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send messengers What was the design of their thus sending ambassadors does not appear The prophet simply intimates the fact a fact by which they were well known It may have been for purposes of commerce or to seek protection Bochart renders the word translated lsquoambassadorsrsquo by ldquoimagesrdquo and supposes that it denotes an image of the god Osiris made of the papyrus but there

does not seem to be any reason for this opinion The word ציר tsıyr may mean an idol or image

as in Isa_4516 Psa_4915 But it usually denotes ambassadors or messengers Jos_94 Pro_2513 Pro_1317 Isa_579 Jer_4914 Oba_11

By the sea - What ldquoseardquo is here meant cannot be accurately determined The word lsquosearsquo (ים ya

m) is applied to various collections of water and may be used in reference to a sea a lake a

pond and even a large river It is often applied to the Mediterranean and where the phrase ldquoGreat Seardquo occurs it denotes that Num_346-7 Deu_1124 It is applied to the Lake of Gennesareth or the Sea of Galilee Num_3411 to the Salt Sea Gen_143 to the Red Sea often (Exo_1310 Num_1425 Num_214 Num_3310 ldquoet alrdquo) It is also applied to ldquoa large riverrdquo as ldquoe g the Nilerdquo Isa_195 Neh_38 and to the Euphrates Jer_5136 So far as this ldquowordrdquo is concerned therefore it may denote either the Mediterranean the Red Sea the Nile or the Euphrates If the country spoken of is Upper Egypt or Nubia then we are naturally led to suppose that the prophet refers either to the Nile or the Red Sea

Even in vessels of bulrushes - The word rendered lsquobulrushesrsquo (גמא gome) is derived from

the verb גמא gama ldquoto swallow sip drinkrdquo and is given to a reed or bulrush from its ldquoimbibingrdquo

water It is usually applied in the Scriptures to the Egyptian ldquopapyrusrdquo - a plant which grew on the banks of the Nile and from which we have derived our word ldquopaperrdquo lsquoThis plantrsquo says Taylor (ldquoHeb Conrdquo) lsquogrew in moist places near the Nile and was four or five yards in height Under the bark it consisted wholly of thin skins which being separated and spread out were applied to various uses Of these they made boxes and chests and even boats smearing them over with pitchrsquo These laminoe or skins also served the purpose of paper and were used instead of parchment or plates of lead and copper for writing on This plant the Cyperus Papyrus of modern botanists mostly grew in Lower Egypt in marshy land or in shallow brooks and ponds formed by the inundation of the Nile lsquoThe papyrusrsquo says Pliny lsquogrows in the marsh lands of Egypt or in the stagnant pools left inland by the Nile after it has returned to its bed which have not more than two cubits in depth

The root of the plant is the thickness of a manrsquos arm it has a triangular stalk growing not higher than ten cubits (fifteen feet) and decreasing in breadth toward the summit which is crowned with a thyrsus containing no seeds and of no use except to deck the statues of the gods They employ the roots as firewood and for making various utensils They even construct small boats of the plant and out of the rind sails mats clothes bedding ropes they eat it either crude or cooked swallowing only the juice and when they manufacture paper from it they divide the stem by means of a kind of needle into thin plates or laminae each of which is as large as the plant will admit All the paper is woven upon a table and is continually moistened with Nile water which being thick and slimy furnishes an effectual species of glue In the first place they form upon a table pefectly horizontal a layer the whole length of the papyrus which is crossed by another placed transversely and afterward enclosed within a press

The different sheets are then hung in a situation exposed to the sun in order to dry and the process is finally completed by joining them together beginning with the best There are seldom more than twenty slips or stripes produced from one stem of the plantrsquo (Pliny xiii 11 12) Wilkinson remarks that lsquothe mode of making papyri was this the interior of the stalks of the plant after the rind had been removed was cut into thin slices in the direction of their length and these being laid on a flat board in succession similar slices were placed over them at right angles and their surfaces being cemented together by a sort of glue and subjected to the proper deuce of pressure and well dried the papyrus was completedrsquo (ldquoAncient Egyptiansrdquo vol iii p 148) The word used here is translated lsquobulrushesrsquo in Exo_23 where the little ark is described in which Moses was laid near the Nile the lsquorushrsquo in Job_811 and lsquorushesrsquo in Isa_357

It does not elsewhere occur That the ancients were in the practice of making light boats or vessels from the papyrus is well known Thus Theophrastus (in the ldquoHistory of Plantsrdquo iv 9)

says that lsquothe papyrus is useful for many things for from this they make vesselsrsquo or ships (πλοeα

ploia) Thus Pliny (xiii 11 22) says ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt - lsquofrom the papyrus

they weave vesselsrsquo Again (vi 56 57) lsquoEven nowrsquo says he lsquoin the Britannic Ocean useful vessels are made of bark on the Nile from the papyrus and from reeds and rushesrsquo Plutarch describes Isis going in search of the body of Osiris lsquothrough the fenny country in a bark made of the

papyrus (fνβαριδιπαπυοινη en baridi papnoine) where it is supposed that persons using boats of

this description (fνπαπυρινοιςhκαφεσιπλωοντας en papurinois okaphisi pleontas) are never attacked by crocodiles out of respect to the goddessrsquo (De Isa_181-7) Moses also it will be remembered was exposed on the banks of the Nile in a similar boat or ark lsquoShe took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it With slime and with pitch and put the child thereinrsquo Exo_23

The same word occurs here (גמא gome) which is used by Isaiah and this fact shows that such boats were known as early as the time of Moses Lucan also mentions boats made of the papyrus at Memphis

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro - Phar iv 136

At Memphis boats are woven together from the marshy papyrus

The sculptures of Thebes Memphis and other places abundantly show that they were employed as punts or canoes for fishing in all parts of Egypt during the inundation of the Nilersquo (Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians vol iii p 186) In our own country also it will be remembered the natives were accustomed to make canoes or vessels of the bark of the birch with which they

often adventured on even dangerous navigation The circumstance here mentioned of the גמא go

me (the papyrus) seems to fix the scene of this prophecy to the region of the Nile This reed

grew nowhere else and it is natural therefore to suppose that some nation living near the Nile is intended Taylor the editor of Calmet has shown that the inhabitants of the upper regions of the Nile were accustomed to form floats of hollow earthen vessels and to weave them together with rushes and thus to convey them to Lower Egypt to market He supposes that by lsquovessels of bulrushesrsquo or rush floats are meant such vessels (For a description of the ldquofloatsrdquo made in Upper Egypt with ldquojarsrdquo see Pocockersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo vol i p 84 Ed London 1743) lsquoI first saw in this voyage (on the Nile) the large floats of earthen-ware they are about thirty feet wide and sixty feet long being a frame of palm boughs tied together about four feet deep on which they put a layer of large jars with the mouths uppermost on these they make another floor and then put on another layer of jars and so a third which last are so disposed as to trim the float and leave room for the men to go between The float lies across the river one end being lower down than the other toward the lower end on each side they have four long poles with which they row and direct the boat as well as forward the motion downrsquo Mr Bruce in his ldquoTravelsrdquo mentions vessels made of the papyrus in Abyssinia

Upon the waters - The waters of the Nile or the Red Sea

Saying - This word is not in the Hebrew and the introduction of it by the translators gives a peculiar and probably an incorrect sense to the whole passage As it stands here it would seem to be the language of the inhabitants of the land who sent the ambassadors usually saying to their messengers to go to a distant nation and this introduces an inquiry into the characteristics of the nation to ldquowhomrdquo the ambassadors are sent as if it were a ldquodifferentrdquo people from those who are mentioned in Isa_171 But probably the words which follow are to be regarded as the words of the prophet or of God Isa_174 giving commandment to those messengers to ldquoreturnrdquo to those who sent them and deliver the message which follows lsquoYou send messengers to distant nations in reed boats upon the rivers Return says God to the land which sent you foth and

announce to them the will of God Go rapidly in your light vessels and bear this message for it shall speedily be executed and I will sit calmly and see it donersquo Isa_174-6 A remarkably similar passage which throws great light on this occurs in Eze_309 lsquoIn that day shall messengers go forth from me (God) in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it comethrsquo

Go ye swift messengers - Hebrew lsquoLight messengersrsquo This is evidently addressed to the boats Achilles Tatius says that they were frequently so light and small that they would carry but one person (Rosenmuller)

To a nation - What nation this was is not known The ldquoobviousrdquo import of the passge is that it was some nation to whom they were ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send ambassadors and that it is here added merely as ldquodescriptiverdquo of the people Two or three characterstics of the nation are mentioned from which we may better learn what people are referred to

Scattered - (ממשך memushak) This word is derived from משך mashak ldquoto seize take hold fastrdquo to draw out extend or prolong to make double or strong to spread out The Septuagint

renders it kθνοςmicroετέωρον Ethnos meteoron - lsquoA lofty nationrsquo Chaldee lsquoA people suffering violencersquo Syraic lsquoA nation distortedrsquo Vulgate lsquoA people convulsed and laceratedrsquo It ldquomayrdquo denote a people ldquospread outrdquo over a great extent of country or a people ldquodrawn out in lengthrdquo - that is extended over a country of considerable length but of comparatively narrow breadth as Egypt is so Vitringa understands it Or it may mean a people ldquostrong valiantrdquo so Gesenius understands it This best suits the connection as being a people lsquoterrible hithertorsquo Perhaps all these ideas may be united by the supposition that the nation was drawn out or extended over a large region and was ldquothereforerdquo a powerful or mighty people The idea of its being ldquoscatteredrdquo is not in the text Taylor renders it lsquoA people of short stature contracted in height that is dwarfsrsquo But the idea in the text is not one that is descriptive of ldquoindividualsrdquo but of the ldquocollectedrdquo nation the people

And peeled - (מרט moratʖ from מרט maratʖ) to make smooth or sharpen as a swordrdquo Ezek

2114-32 then to make smooth the head of any one to pluck off his hair Ezr_93 Neh_1325

Isa_506) The Septuagint renders it Ξένονλαpνκαχαλεπόν Cenon laon kai chalepon - lsquoA foreign and wicked peoplersquo Vulgate lsquoTo a people laceratedrsquo The Syriac renders the whole verse lsquoGo swift messengers to a people perverse and torn to a people whose strength has been long since taken away a people defiled and trodden down whose land the rivers have spoiledrsquo The word used here is capable of two significations

(1) It may denote a people who are shaved or made smooth by removing the hair from the body It is known to have been the custom with the Egyptians to make their bodies smooth by shaving off the hair as Herodotus testifies (xi 37) Or

(2) It may be translated as Gesenius proposes a people valiant fierce bold from the sense which the verb has ldquoto sharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115-16

The former is the most obvious interpretation and agrees best with the proper meaning of the Hebrew word the latter would perhaps better suit the connection The editor of Calmer supposes that it is to be taken in the sense of ldquodiminished small dwarfishrdquo and would apply it to the ldquopigmiesrdquo of Upper Egypt

To a people terrible - That is warlike fierce cruel Hebrew lsquoA people fearedrsquo If the Egyptians are meant it may refer to the fact that they had always been an object of terror and alarm to the Israelites from their early oppressions there before their deliverance under Moses

From their beginning hitherto - Hebrew lsquoFrom this time and formerlyrsquo It has been their general character that they were a fierce harsh oppressive nation Gesenius however renders this lsquoTo the formidable nation (and) further beyondrsquo and supposes that two nations are referred

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

Calvin wrote in his day The Church is not far from despair being plundered scattered and everywhere

crushed and trodden underfoot What must be done in straits so numerous and so distressing We ought

to lay hold on these promises so as to believe that God will still preserve the Church The body may be

torn shivered into fragments and scattered still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will

never allow the remembrance and calling on his Name to perish

3 The self-concealment of God The trial of faith in all ages Oh that he would show his face bare his

arm disclose his majesty exert his power appear as Judge to end once for all the strifes of the world

But we must learn to say Gods in his heaven alls right with the world At the proper season he will

come forth If he instantly cut the wicked down and took them away like a sprouting blade of corn his

power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so fully ascertained as when he permits

them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may afterwards fall by their own weight or

like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-knives

4 The unity of religion the prophetic ideal Mount Zion was its ancient symbol for us it is not Rome nor

any other city or mountmdashit is the human heart with all its pathos its faith hope and love its regenerate

life and aspirations it is one spirit universal in mankindmdashJ

12 PULPIT ldquoThe patience of power

The most striking and distinctive truth this chapter contains is that of the patience of Divine power which

permits evil to rise and to mature and which at the right moment effectually intervenes But there are

other points beside this they aremdash

I THE MISDIRECTION OF HUMAN INTELLIGENCE Whatever may be the right translation and the true

application of these verses it is clear that reference is made to a warlike peoplemdasha people terrible to

their neighbors a people of command or treading underfoot aggressive and victorious It shows how

far we have fallen from our first estate and from the condition for which we were created that it does not

strike us as strange that this should be the description of a people that the number of nations whom it

characterizes is so great that we fail to identify the nation which is in the prophets vision Under sin it has

become common not to say natural that a nation should be terrible should be treading down or

crushing and full of commands to its neighbors But to how much better purpose might the strong

peoples of the earth devote their strength God has made rich provision for the peaceable and fruitful

exercise of our largest powers There are rivers and seas (Isa_182) for travelling exploration commerce

there is vegetation (bulrushes papyrus) which may be made to carry mens bodies or which by the

exercise of human ingenuity may be made to convey their thoughts to distant lands and remotest times

there is land and there are seeds there is sunshine and there is dew which can be made to produce

golden harvests that will satisfy mans wants and minister to his most refined tastes (Isa_184 Isa_185)

there are birds and beasts (Isa_186) with whose habits men may become intelligently familiar there is

wealth beneath the soil in precious metals which can not only be raised and collected to enrich the

homes of men but which can be conveyed as the tribute of piety to the house of the Lord (Isa_187)

But despising and neglecting such materials and such ambitions as these nations have aspired to rule

over othersmdashhave perfected themselves in all the arts and enginery of war have congratulated

themselves on nothing so much as in being terrible to those on the other side the river or across the

mountain range

II THE COMPLETENESS OF MANS OVERTHROW IN THE DAY OF DIVINE ANGER The destruction

threatened (Isa_185 Isa_186) probably refers to that of the army of Sennacherib but if the reference be

to some other national calamity it certainly points to an overthrow signal and fearful from which the

imagination turns away oppressed So has it been found both by individual men and nations that when

God arises to judgment their feeble defenses are scattered to the winds and their doom is utterly

irreversible by anything they can do to mend it (see Psa_21-12 6317-20 Psa_926 Psa_929)

III THE LESSON OF GODS JUDGMENTS The result in this case is seen in the bringing of a tribute to

the Lord (Isa_187) If God puts forth his power in overwhelming retribution it is chiefly if not wholly that

they who witness it (men or nations) may repent of their own misdeeds or impiety and may return unto

the Lord in penitence in prayer in consecration for the most acceptable present that can be brought

unto the Lord of hosts is the humbled believing obedient heart

IV THE PATIENCE OF DIVINE POWER (Isa_184) The Lord said I will fake my rest [I will be calm or

still] I will consider in my dwelling-place [I will look on from my habitation] like a clear heat upon herbs

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest God will not be provoked into hurried and impatient judgments

he will retain a Divine composure he will manifest the patience which belongs to conscious power the

heavens should be as still as on the calmest summer day while evil was working to its bitter end while sin

was advancing to its doom Here is a contrast to us and here are lessons for us We in our finite

feebleness are often impatient in spirit and hurried in action We are afraid that if we do not strike at

once we shall not have time to strike at all or that our resources of retribution will fall or that our

adversary will be out of our reach God can entertain no such fear and be affected by no such thought

1 All time is at his command

2 All resources are in his hands

3 The men (nations) whom he may find it needful to chastise can never be beyond the reach of his

power

Hence his calmness in place of our confusion his patience in contrast with our feverish restlessness

(1) Let not the wicked presume on Divine disregard God will put forth his hand in punishment at his own

chosen time

(2) Let not the righteous be surprised or disheartened by his delay he does not count time by our

chronometry he has not the reasons for haste which urge us to immediate action the hour of his merciful

intervention will arrive in timemdashC

2 which sends envoys by sea

in papyrus boats over the water

Go swift messengers

to a people tall and smooth-skinned

to a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by rivers

1BARNES ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors - That is ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send messengers What was the design of their thus sending ambassadors does not appear The prophet simply intimates the fact a fact by which they were well known It may have been for purposes of commerce or to seek protection Bochart renders the word translated lsquoambassadorsrsquo by ldquoimagesrdquo and supposes that it denotes an image of the god Osiris made of the papyrus but there

does not seem to be any reason for this opinion The word ציר tsıyr may mean an idol or image

as in Isa_4516 Psa_4915 But it usually denotes ambassadors or messengers Jos_94 Pro_2513 Pro_1317 Isa_579 Jer_4914 Oba_11

By the sea - What ldquoseardquo is here meant cannot be accurately determined The word lsquosearsquo (ים ya

m) is applied to various collections of water and may be used in reference to a sea a lake a

pond and even a large river It is often applied to the Mediterranean and where the phrase ldquoGreat Seardquo occurs it denotes that Num_346-7 Deu_1124 It is applied to the Lake of Gennesareth or the Sea of Galilee Num_3411 to the Salt Sea Gen_143 to the Red Sea often (Exo_1310 Num_1425 Num_214 Num_3310 ldquoet alrdquo) It is also applied to ldquoa large riverrdquo as ldquoe g the Nilerdquo Isa_195 Neh_38 and to the Euphrates Jer_5136 So far as this ldquowordrdquo is concerned therefore it may denote either the Mediterranean the Red Sea the Nile or the Euphrates If the country spoken of is Upper Egypt or Nubia then we are naturally led to suppose that the prophet refers either to the Nile or the Red Sea

Even in vessels of bulrushes - The word rendered lsquobulrushesrsquo (גמא gome) is derived from

the verb גמא gama ldquoto swallow sip drinkrdquo and is given to a reed or bulrush from its ldquoimbibingrdquo

water It is usually applied in the Scriptures to the Egyptian ldquopapyrusrdquo - a plant which grew on the banks of the Nile and from which we have derived our word ldquopaperrdquo lsquoThis plantrsquo says Taylor (ldquoHeb Conrdquo) lsquogrew in moist places near the Nile and was four or five yards in height Under the bark it consisted wholly of thin skins which being separated and spread out were applied to various uses Of these they made boxes and chests and even boats smearing them over with pitchrsquo These laminoe or skins also served the purpose of paper and were used instead of parchment or plates of lead and copper for writing on This plant the Cyperus Papyrus of modern botanists mostly grew in Lower Egypt in marshy land or in shallow brooks and ponds formed by the inundation of the Nile lsquoThe papyrusrsquo says Pliny lsquogrows in the marsh lands of Egypt or in the stagnant pools left inland by the Nile after it has returned to its bed which have not more than two cubits in depth

The root of the plant is the thickness of a manrsquos arm it has a triangular stalk growing not higher than ten cubits (fifteen feet) and decreasing in breadth toward the summit which is crowned with a thyrsus containing no seeds and of no use except to deck the statues of the gods They employ the roots as firewood and for making various utensils They even construct small boats of the plant and out of the rind sails mats clothes bedding ropes they eat it either crude or cooked swallowing only the juice and when they manufacture paper from it they divide the stem by means of a kind of needle into thin plates or laminae each of which is as large as the plant will admit All the paper is woven upon a table and is continually moistened with Nile water which being thick and slimy furnishes an effectual species of glue In the first place they form upon a table pefectly horizontal a layer the whole length of the papyrus which is crossed by another placed transversely and afterward enclosed within a press

The different sheets are then hung in a situation exposed to the sun in order to dry and the process is finally completed by joining them together beginning with the best There are seldom more than twenty slips or stripes produced from one stem of the plantrsquo (Pliny xiii 11 12) Wilkinson remarks that lsquothe mode of making papyri was this the interior of the stalks of the plant after the rind had been removed was cut into thin slices in the direction of their length and these being laid on a flat board in succession similar slices were placed over them at right angles and their surfaces being cemented together by a sort of glue and subjected to the proper deuce of pressure and well dried the papyrus was completedrsquo (ldquoAncient Egyptiansrdquo vol iii p 148) The word used here is translated lsquobulrushesrsquo in Exo_23 where the little ark is described in which Moses was laid near the Nile the lsquorushrsquo in Job_811 and lsquorushesrsquo in Isa_357

It does not elsewhere occur That the ancients were in the practice of making light boats or vessels from the papyrus is well known Thus Theophrastus (in the ldquoHistory of Plantsrdquo iv 9)

says that lsquothe papyrus is useful for many things for from this they make vesselsrsquo or ships (πλοeα

ploia) Thus Pliny (xiii 11 22) says ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt - lsquofrom the papyrus

they weave vesselsrsquo Again (vi 56 57) lsquoEven nowrsquo says he lsquoin the Britannic Ocean useful vessels are made of bark on the Nile from the papyrus and from reeds and rushesrsquo Plutarch describes Isis going in search of the body of Osiris lsquothrough the fenny country in a bark made of the

papyrus (fνβαριδιπαπυοινη en baridi papnoine) where it is supposed that persons using boats of

this description (fνπαπυρινοιςhκαφεσιπλωοντας en papurinois okaphisi pleontas) are never attacked by crocodiles out of respect to the goddessrsquo (De Isa_181-7) Moses also it will be remembered was exposed on the banks of the Nile in a similar boat or ark lsquoShe took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it With slime and with pitch and put the child thereinrsquo Exo_23

The same word occurs here (גמא gome) which is used by Isaiah and this fact shows that such boats were known as early as the time of Moses Lucan also mentions boats made of the papyrus at Memphis

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro - Phar iv 136

At Memphis boats are woven together from the marshy papyrus

The sculptures of Thebes Memphis and other places abundantly show that they were employed as punts or canoes for fishing in all parts of Egypt during the inundation of the Nilersquo (Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians vol iii p 186) In our own country also it will be remembered the natives were accustomed to make canoes or vessels of the bark of the birch with which they

often adventured on even dangerous navigation The circumstance here mentioned of the גמא go

me (the papyrus) seems to fix the scene of this prophecy to the region of the Nile This reed

grew nowhere else and it is natural therefore to suppose that some nation living near the Nile is intended Taylor the editor of Calmet has shown that the inhabitants of the upper regions of the Nile were accustomed to form floats of hollow earthen vessels and to weave them together with rushes and thus to convey them to Lower Egypt to market He supposes that by lsquovessels of bulrushesrsquo or rush floats are meant such vessels (For a description of the ldquofloatsrdquo made in Upper Egypt with ldquojarsrdquo see Pocockersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo vol i p 84 Ed London 1743) lsquoI first saw in this voyage (on the Nile) the large floats of earthen-ware they are about thirty feet wide and sixty feet long being a frame of palm boughs tied together about four feet deep on which they put a layer of large jars with the mouths uppermost on these they make another floor and then put on another layer of jars and so a third which last are so disposed as to trim the float and leave room for the men to go between The float lies across the river one end being lower down than the other toward the lower end on each side they have four long poles with which they row and direct the boat as well as forward the motion downrsquo Mr Bruce in his ldquoTravelsrdquo mentions vessels made of the papyrus in Abyssinia

Upon the waters - The waters of the Nile or the Red Sea

Saying - This word is not in the Hebrew and the introduction of it by the translators gives a peculiar and probably an incorrect sense to the whole passage As it stands here it would seem to be the language of the inhabitants of the land who sent the ambassadors usually saying to their messengers to go to a distant nation and this introduces an inquiry into the characteristics of the nation to ldquowhomrdquo the ambassadors are sent as if it were a ldquodifferentrdquo people from those who are mentioned in Isa_171 But probably the words which follow are to be regarded as the words of the prophet or of God Isa_174 giving commandment to those messengers to ldquoreturnrdquo to those who sent them and deliver the message which follows lsquoYou send messengers to distant nations in reed boats upon the rivers Return says God to the land which sent you foth and

announce to them the will of God Go rapidly in your light vessels and bear this message for it shall speedily be executed and I will sit calmly and see it donersquo Isa_174-6 A remarkably similar passage which throws great light on this occurs in Eze_309 lsquoIn that day shall messengers go forth from me (God) in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it comethrsquo

Go ye swift messengers - Hebrew lsquoLight messengersrsquo This is evidently addressed to the boats Achilles Tatius says that they were frequently so light and small that they would carry but one person (Rosenmuller)

To a nation - What nation this was is not known The ldquoobviousrdquo import of the passge is that it was some nation to whom they were ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send ambassadors and that it is here added merely as ldquodescriptiverdquo of the people Two or three characterstics of the nation are mentioned from which we may better learn what people are referred to

Scattered - (ממשך memushak) This word is derived from משך mashak ldquoto seize take hold fastrdquo to draw out extend or prolong to make double or strong to spread out The Septuagint

renders it kθνοςmicroετέωρον Ethnos meteoron - lsquoA lofty nationrsquo Chaldee lsquoA people suffering violencersquo Syraic lsquoA nation distortedrsquo Vulgate lsquoA people convulsed and laceratedrsquo It ldquomayrdquo denote a people ldquospread outrdquo over a great extent of country or a people ldquodrawn out in lengthrdquo - that is extended over a country of considerable length but of comparatively narrow breadth as Egypt is so Vitringa understands it Or it may mean a people ldquostrong valiantrdquo so Gesenius understands it This best suits the connection as being a people lsquoterrible hithertorsquo Perhaps all these ideas may be united by the supposition that the nation was drawn out or extended over a large region and was ldquothereforerdquo a powerful or mighty people The idea of its being ldquoscatteredrdquo is not in the text Taylor renders it lsquoA people of short stature contracted in height that is dwarfsrsquo But the idea in the text is not one that is descriptive of ldquoindividualsrdquo but of the ldquocollectedrdquo nation the people

And peeled - (מרט moratʖ from מרט maratʖ) to make smooth or sharpen as a swordrdquo Ezek

2114-32 then to make smooth the head of any one to pluck off his hair Ezr_93 Neh_1325

Isa_506) The Septuagint renders it Ξένονλαpνκαχαλεπόν Cenon laon kai chalepon - lsquoA foreign and wicked peoplersquo Vulgate lsquoTo a people laceratedrsquo The Syriac renders the whole verse lsquoGo swift messengers to a people perverse and torn to a people whose strength has been long since taken away a people defiled and trodden down whose land the rivers have spoiledrsquo The word used here is capable of two significations

(1) It may denote a people who are shaved or made smooth by removing the hair from the body It is known to have been the custom with the Egyptians to make their bodies smooth by shaving off the hair as Herodotus testifies (xi 37) Or

(2) It may be translated as Gesenius proposes a people valiant fierce bold from the sense which the verb has ldquoto sharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115-16

The former is the most obvious interpretation and agrees best with the proper meaning of the Hebrew word the latter would perhaps better suit the connection The editor of Calmer supposes that it is to be taken in the sense of ldquodiminished small dwarfishrdquo and would apply it to the ldquopigmiesrdquo of Upper Egypt

To a people terrible - That is warlike fierce cruel Hebrew lsquoA people fearedrsquo If the Egyptians are meant it may refer to the fact that they had always been an object of terror and alarm to the Israelites from their early oppressions there before their deliverance under Moses

From their beginning hitherto - Hebrew lsquoFrom this time and formerlyrsquo It has been their general character that they were a fierce harsh oppressive nation Gesenius however renders this lsquoTo the formidable nation (and) further beyondrsquo and supposes that two nations are referred

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

exercise of human ingenuity may be made to convey their thoughts to distant lands and remotest times

there is land and there are seeds there is sunshine and there is dew which can be made to produce

golden harvests that will satisfy mans wants and minister to his most refined tastes (Isa_184 Isa_185)

there are birds and beasts (Isa_186) with whose habits men may become intelligently familiar there is

wealth beneath the soil in precious metals which can not only be raised and collected to enrich the

homes of men but which can be conveyed as the tribute of piety to the house of the Lord (Isa_187)

But despising and neglecting such materials and such ambitions as these nations have aspired to rule

over othersmdashhave perfected themselves in all the arts and enginery of war have congratulated

themselves on nothing so much as in being terrible to those on the other side the river or across the

mountain range

II THE COMPLETENESS OF MANS OVERTHROW IN THE DAY OF DIVINE ANGER The destruction

threatened (Isa_185 Isa_186) probably refers to that of the army of Sennacherib but if the reference be

to some other national calamity it certainly points to an overthrow signal and fearful from which the

imagination turns away oppressed So has it been found both by individual men and nations that when

God arises to judgment their feeble defenses are scattered to the winds and their doom is utterly

irreversible by anything they can do to mend it (see Psa_21-12 6317-20 Psa_926 Psa_929)

III THE LESSON OF GODS JUDGMENTS The result in this case is seen in the bringing of a tribute to

the Lord (Isa_187) If God puts forth his power in overwhelming retribution it is chiefly if not wholly that

they who witness it (men or nations) may repent of their own misdeeds or impiety and may return unto

the Lord in penitence in prayer in consecration for the most acceptable present that can be brought

unto the Lord of hosts is the humbled believing obedient heart

IV THE PATIENCE OF DIVINE POWER (Isa_184) The Lord said I will fake my rest [I will be calm or

still] I will consider in my dwelling-place [I will look on from my habitation] like a clear heat upon herbs

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest God will not be provoked into hurried and impatient judgments

he will retain a Divine composure he will manifest the patience which belongs to conscious power the

heavens should be as still as on the calmest summer day while evil was working to its bitter end while sin

was advancing to its doom Here is a contrast to us and here are lessons for us We in our finite

feebleness are often impatient in spirit and hurried in action We are afraid that if we do not strike at

once we shall not have time to strike at all or that our resources of retribution will fall or that our

adversary will be out of our reach God can entertain no such fear and be affected by no such thought

1 All time is at his command

2 All resources are in his hands

3 The men (nations) whom he may find it needful to chastise can never be beyond the reach of his

power

Hence his calmness in place of our confusion his patience in contrast with our feverish restlessness

(1) Let not the wicked presume on Divine disregard God will put forth his hand in punishment at his own

chosen time

(2) Let not the righteous be surprised or disheartened by his delay he does not count time by our

chronometry he has not the reasons for haste which urge us to immediate action the hour of his merciful

intervention will arrive in timemdashC

2 which sends envoys by sea

in papyrus boats over the water

Go swift messengers

to a people tall and smooth-skinned

to a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by rivers

1BARNES ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors - That is ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send messengers What was the design of their thus sending ambassadors does not appear The prophet simply intimates the fact a fact by which they were well known It may have been for purposes of commerce or to seek protection Bochart renders the word translated lsquoambassadorsrsquo by ldquoimagesrdquo and supposes that it denotes an image of the god Osiris made of the papyrus but there

does not seem to be any reason for this opinion The word ציר tsıyr may mean an idol or image

as in Isa_4516 Psa_4915 But it usually denotes ambassadors or messengers Jos_94 Pro_2513 Pro_1317 Isa_579 Jer_4914 Oba_11

By the sea - What ldquoseardquo is here meant cannot be accurately determined The word lsquosearsquo (ים ya

m) is applied to various collections of water and may be used in reference to a sea a lake a

pond and even a large river It is often applied to the Mediterranean and where the phrase ldquoGreat Seardquo occurs it denotes that Num_346-7 Deu_1124 It is applied to the Lake of Gennesareth or the Sea of Galilee Num_3411 to the Salt Sea Gen_143 to the Red Sea often (Exo_1310 Num_1425 Num_214 Num_3310 ldquoet alrdquo) It is also applied to ldquoa large riverrdquo as ldquoe g the Nilerdquo Isa_195 Neh_38 and to the Euphrates Jer_5136 So far as this ldquowordrdquo is concerned therefore it may denote either the Mediterranean the Red Sea the Nile or the Euphrates If the country spoken of is Upper Egypt or Nubia then we are naturally led to suppose that the prophet refers either to the Nile or the Red Sea

Even in vessels of bulrushes - The word rendered lsquobulrushesrsquo (גמא gome) is derived from

the verb גמא gama ldquoto swallow sip drinkrdquo and is given to a reed or bulrush from its ldquoimbibingrdquo

water It is usually applied in the Scriptures to the Egyptian ldquopapyrusrdquo - a plant which grew on the banks of the Nile and from which we have derived our word ldquopaperrdquo lsquoThis plantrsquo says Taylor (ldquoHeb Conrdquo) lsquogrew in moist places near the Nile and was four or five yards in height Under the bark it consisted wholly of thin skins which being separated and spread out were applied to various uses Of these they made boxes and chests and even boats smearing them over with pitchrsquo These laminoe or skins also served the purpose of paper and were used instead of parchment or plates of lead and copper for writing on This plant the Cyperus Papyrus of modern botanists mostly grew in Lower Egypt in marshy land or in shallow brooks and ponds formed by the inundation of the Nile lsquoThe papyrusrsquo says Pliny lsquogrows in the marsh lands of Egypt or in the stagnant pools left inland by the Nile after it has returned to its bed which have not more than two cubits in depth

The root of the plant is the thickness of a manrsquos arm it has a triangular stalk growing not higher than ten cubits (fifteen feet) and decreasing in breadth toward the summit which is crowned with a thyrsus containing no seeds and of no use except to deck the statues of the gods They employ the roots as firewood and for making various utensils They even construct small boats of the plant and out of the rind sails mats clothes bedding ropes they eat it either crude or cooked swallowing only the juice and when they manufacture paper from it they divide the stem by means of a kind of needle into thin plates or laminae each of which is as large as the plant will admit All the paper is woven upon a table and is continually moistened with Nile water which being thick and slimy furnishes an effectual species of glue In the first place they form upon a table pefectly horizontal a layer the whole length of the papyrus which is crossed by another placed transversely and afterward enclosed within a press

The different sheets are then hung in a situation exposed to the sun in order to dry and the process is finally completed by joining them together beginning with the best There are seldom more than twenty slips or stripes produced from one stem of the plantrsquo (Pliny xiii 11 12) Wilkinson remarks that lsquothe mode of making papyri was this the interior of the stalks of the plant after the rind had been removed was cut into thin slices in the direction of their length and these being laid on a flat board in succession similar slices were placed over them at right angles and their surfaces being cemented together by a sort of glue and subjected to the proper deuce of pressure and well dried the papyrus was completedrsquo (ldquoAncient Egyptiansrdquo vol iii p 148) The word used here is translated lsquobulrushesrsquo in Exo_23 where the little ark is described in which Moses was laid near the Nile the lsquorushrsquo in Job_811 and lsquorushesrsquo in Isa_357

It does not elsewhere occur That the ancients were in the practice of making light boats or vessels from the papyrus is well known Thus Theophrastus (in the ldquoHistory of Plantsrdquo iv 9)

says that lsquothe papyrus is useful for many things for from this they make vesselsrsquo or ships (πλοeα

ploia) Thus Pliny (xiii 11 22) says ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt - lsquofrom the papyrus

they weave vesselsrsquo Again (vi 56 57) lsquoEven nowrsquo says he lsquoin the Britannic Ocean useful vessels are made of bark on the Nile from the papyrus and from reeds and rushesrsquo Plutarch describes Isis going in search of the body of Osiris lsquothrough the fenny country in a bark made of the

papyrus (fνβαριδιπαπυοινη en baridi papnoine) where it is supposed that persons using boats of

this description (fνπαπυρινοιςhκαφεσιπλωοντας en papurinois okaphisi pleontas) are never attacked by crocodiles out of respect to the goddessrsquo (De Isa_181-7) Moses also it will be remembered was exposed on the banks of the Nile in a similar boat or ark lsquoShe took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it With slime and with pitch and put the child thereinrsquo Exo_23

The same word occurs here (גמא gome) which is used by Isaiah and this fact shows that such boats were known as early as the time of Moses Lucan also mentions boats made of the papyrus at Memphis

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro - Phar iv 136

At Memphis boats are woven together from the marshy papyrus

The sculptures of Thebes Memphis and other places abundantly show that they were employed as punts or canoes for fishing in all parts of Egypt during the inundation of the Nilersquo (Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians vol iii p 186) In our own country also it will be remembered the natives were accustomed to make canoes or vessels of the bark of the birch with which they

often adventured on even dangerous navigation The circumstance here mentioned of the גמא go

me (the papyrus) seems to fix the scene of this prophecy to the region of the Nile This reed

grew nowhere else and it is natural therefore to suppose that some nation living near the Nile is intended Taylor the editor of Calmet has shown that the inhabitants of the upper regions of the Nile were accustomed to form floats of hollow earthen vessels and to weave them together with rushes and thus to convey them to Lower Egypt to market He supposes that by lsquovessels of bulrushesrsquo or rush floats are meant such vessels (For a description of the ldquofloatsrdquo made in Upper Egypt with ldquojarsrdquo see Pocockersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo vol i p 84 Ed London 1743) lsquoI first saw in this voyage (on the Nile) the large floats of earthen-ware they are about thirty feet wide and sixty feet long being a frame of palm boughs tied together about four feet deep on which they put a layer of large jars with the mouths uppermost on these they make another floor and then put on another layer of jars and so a third which last are so disposed as to trim the float and leave room for the men to go between The float lies across the river one end being lower down than the other toward the lower end on each side they have four long poles with which they row and direct the boat as well as forward the motion downrsquo Mr Bruce in his ldquoTravelsrdquo mentions vessels made of the papyrus in Abyssinia

Upon the waters - The waters of the Nile or the Red Sea

Saying - This word is not in the Hebrew and the introduction of it by the translators gives a peculiar and probably an incorrect sense to the whole passage As it stands here it would seem to be the language of the inhabitants of the land who sent the ambassadors usually saying to their messengers to go to a distant nation and this introduces an inquiry into the characteristics of the nation to ldquowhomrdquo the ambassadors are sent as if it were a ldquodifferentrdquo people from those who are mentioned in Isa_171 But probably the words which follow are to be regarded as the words of the prophet or of God Isa_174 giving commandment to those messengers to ldquoreturnrdquo to those who sent them and deliver the message which follows lsquoYou send messengers to distant nations in reed boats upon the rivers Return says God to the land which sent you foth and

announce to them the will of God Go rapidly in your light vessels and bear this message for it shall speedily be executed and I will sit calmly and see it donersquo Isa_174-6 A remarkably similar passage which throws great light on this occurs in Eze_309 lsquoIn that day shall messengers go forth from me (God) in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it comethrsquo

Go ye swift messengers - Hebrew lsquoLight messengersrsquo This is evidently addressed to the boats Achilles Tatius says that they were frequently so light and small that they would carry but one person (Rosenmuller)

To a nation - What nation this was is not known The ldquoobviousrdquo import of the passge is that it was some nation to whom they were ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send ambassadors and that it is here added merely as ldquodescriptiverdquo of the people Two or three characterstics of the nation are mentioned from which we may better learn what people are referred to

Scattered - (ממשך memushak) This word is derived from משך mashak ldquoto seize take hold fastrdquo to draw out extend or prolong to make double or strong to spread out The Septuagint

renders it kθνοςmicroετέωρον Ethnos meteoron - lsquoA lofty nationrsquo Chaldee lsquoA people suffering violencersquo Syraic lsquoA nation distortedrsquo Vulgate lsquoA people convulsed and laceratedrsquo It ldquomayrdquo denote a people ldquospread outrdquo over a great extent of country or a people ldquodrawn out in lengthrdquo - that is extended over a country of considerable length but of comparatively narrow breadth as Egypt is so Vitringa understands it Or it may mean a people ldquostrong valiantrdquo so Gesenius understands it This best suits the connection as being a people lsquoterrible hithertorsquo Perhaps all these ideas may be united by the supposition that the nation was drawn out or extended over a large region and was ldquothereforerdquo a powerful or mighty people The idea of its being ldquoscatteredrdquo is not in the text Taylor renders it lsquoA people of short stature contracted in height that is dwarfsrsquo But the idea in the text is not one that is descriptive of ldquoindividualsrdquo but of the ldquocollectedrdquo nation the people

And peeled - (מרט moratʖ from מרט maratʖ) to make smooth or sharpen as a swordrdquo Ezek

2114-32 then to make smooth the head of any one to pluck off his hair Ezr_93 Neh_1325

Isa_506) The Septuagint renders it Ξένονλαpνκαχαλεπόν Cenon laon kai chalepon - lsquoA foreign and wicked peoplersquo Vulgate lsquoTo a people laceratedrsquo The Syriac renders the whole verse lsquoGo swift messengers to a people perverse and torn to a people whose strength has been long since taken away a people defiled and trodden down whose land the rivers have spoiledrsquo The word used here is capable of two significations

(1) It may denote a people who are shaved or made smooth by removing the hair from the body It is known to have been the custom with the Egyptians to make their bodies smooth by shaving off the hair as Herodotus testifies (xi 37) Or

(2) It may be translated as Gesenius proposes a people valiant fierce bold from the sense which the verb has ldquoto sharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115-16

The former is the most obvious interpretation and agrees best with the proper meaning of the Hebrew word the latter would perhaps better suit the connection The editor of Calmer supposes that it is to be taken in the sense of ldquodiminished small dwarfishrdquo and would apply it to the ldquopigmiesrdquo of Upper Egypt

To a people terrible - That is warlike fierce cruel Hebrew lsquoA people fearedrsquo If the Egyptians are meant it may refer to the fact that they had always been an object of terror and alarm to the Israelites from their early oppressions there before their deliverance under Moses

From their beginning hitherto - Hebrew lsquoFrom this time and formerlyrsquo It has been their general character that they were a fierce harsh oppressive nation Gesenius however renders this lsquoTo the formidable nation (and) further beyondrsquo and supposes that two nations are referred

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

2 All resources are in his hands

3 The men (nations) whom he may find it needful to chastise can never be beyond the reach of his

power

Hence his calmness in place of our confusion his patience in contrast with our feverish restlessness

(1) Let not the wicked presume on Divine disregard God will put forth his hand in punishment at his own

chosen time

(2) Let not the righteous be surprised or disheartened by his delay he does not count time by our

chronometry he has not the reasons for haste which urge us to immediate action the hour of his merciful

intervention will arrive in timemdashC

2 which sends envoys by sea

in papyrus boats over the water

Go swift messengers

to a people tall and smooth-skinned

to a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by rivers

1BARNES ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors - That is ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send messengers What was the design of their thus sending ambassadors does not appear The prophet simply intimates the fact a fact by which they were well known It may have been for purposes of commerce or to seek protection Bochart renders the word translated lsquoambassadorsrsquo by ldquoimagesrdquo and supposes that it denotes an image of the god Osiris made of the papyrus but there

does not seem to be any reason for this opinion The word ציר tsıyr may mean an idol or image

as in Isa_4516 Psa_4915 But it usually denotes ambassadors or messengers Jos_94 Pro_2513 Pro_1317 Isa_579 Jer_4914 Oba_11

By the sea - What ldquoseardquo is here meant cannot be accurately determined The word lsquosearsquo (ים ya

m) is applied to various collections of water and may be used in reference to a sea a lake a

pond and even a large river It is often applied to the Mediterranean and where the phrase ldquoGreat Seardquo occurs it denotes that Num_346-7 Deu_1124 It is applied to the Lake of Gennesareth or the Sea of Galilee Num_3411 to the Salt Sea Gen_143 to the Red Sea often (Exo_1310 Num_1425 Num_214 Num_3310 ldquoet alrdquo) It is also applied to ldquoa large riverrdquo as ldquoe g the Nilerdquo Isa_195 Neh_38 and to the Euphrates Jer_5136 So far as this ldquowordrdquo is concerned therefore it may denote either the Mediterranean the Red Sea the Nile or the Euphrates If the country spoken of is Upper Egypt or Nubia then we are naturally led to suppose that the prophet refers either to the Nile or the Red Sea

Even in vessels of bulrushes - The word rendered lsquobulrushesrsquo (גמא gome) is derived from

the verb גמא gama ldquoto swallow sip drinkrdquo and is given to a reed or bulrush from its ldquoimbibingrdquo

water It is usually applied in the Scriptures to the Egyptian ldquopapyrusrdquo - a plant which grew on the banks of the Nile and from which we have derived our word ldquopaperrdquo lsquoThis plantrsquo says Taylor (ldquoHeb Conrdquo) lsquogrew in moist places near the Nile and was four or five yards in height Under the bark it consisted wholly of thin skins which being separated and spread out were applied to various uses Of these they made boxes and chests and even boats smearing them over with pitchrsquo These laminoe or skins also served the purpose of paper and were used instead of parchment or plates of lead and copper for writing on This plant the Cyperus Papyrus of modern botanists mostly grew in Lower Egypt in marshy land or in shallow brooks and ponds formed by the inundation of the Nile lsquoThe papyrusrsquo says Pliny lsquogrows in the marsh lands of Egypt or in the stagnant pools left inland by the Nile after it has returned to its bed which have not more than two cubits in depth

The root of the plant is the thickness of a manrsquos arm it has a triangular stalk growing not higher than ten cubits (fifteen feet) and decreasing in breadth toward the summit which is crowned with a thyrsus containing no seeds and of no use except to deck the statues of the gods They employ the roots as firewood and for making various utensils They even construct small boats of the plant and out of the rind sails mats clothes bedding ropes they eat it either crude or cooked swallowing only the juice and when they manufacture paper from it they divide the stem by means of a kind of needle into thin plates or laminae each of which is as large as the plant will admit All the paper is woven upon a table and is continually moistened with Nile water which being thick and slimy furnishes an effectual species of glue In the first place they form upon a table pefectly horizontal a layer the whole length of the papyrus which is crossed by another placed transversely and afterward enclosed within a press

The different sheets are then hung in a situation exposed to the sun in order to dry and the process is finally completed by joining them together beginning with the best There are seldom more than twenty slips or stripes produced from one stem of the plantrsquo (Pliny xiii 11 12) Wilkinson remarks that lsquothe mode of making papyri was this the interior of the stalks of the plant after the rind had been removed was cut into thin slices in the direction of their length and these being laid on a flat board in succession similar slices were placed over them at right angles and their surfaces being cemented together by a sort of glue and subjected to the proper deuce of pressure and well dried the papyrus was completedrsquo (ldquoAncient Egyptiansrdquo vol iii p 148) The word used here is translated lsquobulrushesrsquo in Exo_23 where the little ark is described in which Moses was laid near the Nile the lsquorushrsquo in Job_811 and lsquorushesrsquo in Isa_357

It does not elsewhere occur That the ancients were in the practice of making light boats or vessels from the papyrus is well known Thus Theophrastus (in the ldquoHistory of Plantsrdquo iv 9)

says that lsquothe papyrus is useful for many things for from this they make vesselsrsquo or ships (πλοeα

ploia) Thus Pliny (xiii 11 22) says ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt - lsquofrom the papyrus

they weave vesselsrsquo Again (vi 56 57) lsquoEven nowrsquo says he lsquoin the Britannic Ocean useful vessels are made of bark on the Nile from the papyrus and from reeds and rushesrsquo Plutarch describes Isis going in search of the body of Osiris lsquothrough the fenny country in a bark made of the

papyrus (fνβαριδιπαπυοινη en baridi papnoine) where it is supposed that persons using boats of

this description (fνπαπυρινοιςhκαφεσιπλωοντας en papurinois okaphisi pleontas) are never attacked by crocodiles out of respect to the goddessrsquo (De Isa_181-7) Moses also it will be remembered was exposed on the banks of the Nile in a similar boat or ark lsquoShe took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it With slime and with pitch and put the child thereinrsquo Exo_23

The same word occurs here (גמא gome) which is used by Isaiah and this fact shows that such boats were known as early as the time of Moses Lucan also mentions boats made of the papyrus at Memphis

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro - Phar iv 136

At Memphis boats are woven together from the marshy papyrus

The sculptures of Thebes Memphis and other places abundantly show that they were employed as punts or canoes for fishing in all parts of Egypt during the inundation of the Nilersquo (Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians vol iii p 186) In our own country also it will be remembered the natives were accustomed to make canoes or vessels of the bark of the birch with which they

often adventured on even dangerous navigation The circumstance here mentioned of the גמא go

me (the papyrus) seems to fix the scene of this prophecy to the region of the Nile This reed

grew nowhere else and it is natural therefore to suppose that some nation living near the Nile is intended Taylor the editor of Calmet has shown that the inhabitants of the upper regions of the Nile were accustomed to form floats of hollow earthen vessels and to weave them together with rushes and thus to convey them to Lower Egypt to market He supposes that by lsquovessels of bulrushesrsquo or rush floats are meant such vessels (For a description of the ldquofloatsrdquo made in Upper Egypt with ldquojarsrdquo see Pocockersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo vol i p 84 Ed London 1743) lsquoI first saw in this voyage (on the Nile) the large floats of earthen-ware they are about thirty feet wide and sixty feet long being a frame of palm boughs tied together about four feet deep on which they put a layer of large jars with the mouths uppermost on these they make another floor and then put on another layer of jars and so a third which last are so disposed as to trim the float and leave room for the men to go between The float lies across the river one end being lower down than the other toward the lower end on each side they have four long poles with which they row and direct the boat as well as forward the motion downrsquo Mr Bruce in his ldquoTravelsrdquo mentions vessels made of the papyrus in Abyssinia

Upon the waters - The waters of the Nile or the Red Sea

Saying - This word is not in the Hebrew and the introduction of it by the translators gives a peculiar and probably an incorrect sense to the whole passage As it stands here it would seem to be the language of the inhabitants of the land who sent the ambassadors usually saying to their messengers to go to a distant nation and this introduces an inquiry into the characteristics of the nation to ldquowhomrdquo the ambassadors are sent as if it were a ldquodifferentrdquo people from those who are mentioned in Isa_171 But probably the words which follow are to be regarded as the words of the prophet or of God Isa_174 giving commandment to those messengers to ldquoreturnrdquo to those who sent them and deliver the message which follows lsquoYou send messengers to distant nations in reed boats upon the rivers Return says God to the land which sent you foth and

announce to them the will of God Go rapidly in your light vessels and bear this message for it shall speedily be executed and I will sit calmly and see it donersquo Isa_174-6 A remarkably similar passage which throws great light on this occurs in Eze_309 lsquoIn that day shall messengers go forth from me (God) in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it comethrsquo

Go ye swift messengers - Hebrew lsquoLight messengersrsquo This is evidently addressed to the boats Achilles Tatius says that they were frequently so light and small that they would carry but one person (Rosenmuller)

To a nation - What nation this was is not known The ldquoobviousrdquo import of the passge is that it was some nation to whom they were ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send ambassadors and that it is here added merely as ldquodescriptiverdquo of the people Two or three characterstics of the nation are mentioned from which we may better learn what people are referred to

Scattered - (ממשך memushak) This word is derived from משך mashak ldquoto seize take hold fastrdquo to draw out extend or prolong to make double or strong to spread out The Septuagint

renders it kθνοςmicroετέωρον Ethnos meteoron - lsquoA lofty nationrsquo Chaldee lsquoA people suffering violencersquo Syraic lsquoA nation distortedrsquo Vulgate lsquoA people convulsed and laceratedrsquo It ldquomayrdquo denote a people ldquospread outrdquo over a great extent of country or a people ldquodrawn out in lengthrdquo - that is extended over a country of considerable length but of comparatively narrow breadth as Egypt is so Vitringa understands it Or it may mean a people ldquostrong valiantrdquo so Gesenius understands it This best suits the connection as being a people lsquoterrible hithertorsquo Perhaps all these ideas may be united by the supposition that the nation was drawn out or extended over a large region and was ldquothereforerdquo a powerful or mighty people The idea of its being ldquoscatteredrdquo is not in the text Taylor renders it lsquoA people of short stature contracted in height that is dwarfsrsquo But the idea in the text is not one that is descriptive of ldquoindividualsrdquo but of the ldquocollectedrdquo nation the people

And peeled - (מרט moratʖ from מרט maratʖ) to make smooth or sharpen as a swordrdquo Ezek

2114-32 then to make smooth the head of any one to pluck off his hair Ezr_93 Neh_1325

Isa_506) The Septuagint renders it Ξένονλαpνκαχαλεπόν Cenon laon kai chalepon - lsquoA foreign and wicked peoplersquo Vulgate lsquoTo a people laceratedrsquo The Syriac renders the whole verse lsquoGo swift messengers to a people perverse and torn to a people whose strength has been long since taken away a people defiled and trodden down whose land the rivers have spoiledrsquo The word used here is capable of two significations

(1) It may denote a people who are shaved or made smooth by removing the hair from the body It is known to have been the custom with the Egyptians to make their bodies smooth by shaving off the hair as Herodotus testifies (xi 37) Or

(2) It may be translated as Gesenius proposes a people valiant fierce bold from the sense which the verb has ldquoto sharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115-16

The former is the most obvious interpretation and agrees best with the proper meaning of the Hebrew word the latter would perhaps better suit the connection The editor of Calmer supposes that it is to be taken in the sense of ldquodiminished small dwarfishrdquo and would apply it to the ldquopigmiesrdquo of Upper Egypt

To a people terrible - That is warlike fierce cruel Hebrew lsquoA people fearedrsquo If the Egyptians are meant it may refer to the fact that they had always been an object of terror and alarm to the Israelites from their early oppressions there before their deliverance under Moses

From their beginning hitherto - Hebrew lsquoFrom this time and formerlyrsquo It has been their general character that they were a fierce harsh oppressive nation Gesenius however renders this lsquoTo the formidable nation (and) further beyondrsquo and supposes that two nations are referred

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

By the sea - What ldquoseardquo is here meant cannot be accurately determined The word lsquosearsquo (ים ya

m) is applied to various collections of water and may be used in reference to a sea a lake a

pond and even a large river It is often applied to the Mediterranean and where the phrase ldquoGreat Seardquo occurs it denotes that Num_346-7 Deu_1124 It is applied to the Lake of Gennesareth or the Sea of Galilee Num_3411 to the Salt Sea Gen_143 to the Red Sea often (Exo_1310 Num_1425 Num_214 Num_3310 ldquoet alrdquo) It is also applied to ldquoa large riverrdquo as ldquoe g the Nilerdquo Isa_195 Neh_38 and to the Euphrates Jer_5136 So far as this ldquowordrdquo is concerned therefore it may denote either the Mediterranean the Red Sea the Nile or the Euphrates If the country spoken of is Upper Egypt or Nubia then we are naturally led to suppose that the prophet refers either to the Nile or the Red Sea

Even in vessels of bulrushes - The word rendered lsquobulrushesrsquo (גמא gome) is derived from

the verb גמא gama ldquoto swallow sip drinkrdquo and is given to a reed or bulrush from its ldquoimbibingrdquo

water It is usually applied in the Scriptures to the Egyptian ldquopapyrusrdquo - a plant which grew on the banks of the Nile and from which we have derived our word ldquopaperrdquo lsquoThis plantrsquo says Taylor (ldquoHeb Conrdquo) lsquogrew in moist places near the Nile and was four or five yards in height Under the bark it consisted wholly of thin skins which being separated and spread out were applied to various uses Of these they made boxes and chests and even boats smearing them over with pitchrsquo These laminoe or skins also served the purpose of paper and were used instead of parchment or plates of lead and copper for writing on This plant the Cyperus Papyrus of modern botanists mostly grew in Lower Egypt in marshy land or in shallow brooks and ponds formed by the inundation of the Nile lsquoThe papyrusrsquo says Pliny lsquogrows in the marsh lands of Egypt or in the stagnant pools left inland by the Nile after it has returned to its bed which have not more than two cubits in depth

The root of the plant is the thickness of a manrsquos arm it has a triangular stalk growing not higher than ten cubits (fifteen feet) and decreasing in breadth toward the summit which is crowned with a thyrsus containing no seeds and of no use except to deck the statues of the gods They employ the roots as firewood and for making various utensils They even construct small boats of the plant and out of the rind sails mats clothes bedding ropes they eat it either crude or cooked swallowing only the juice and when they manufacture paper from it they divide the stem by means of a kind of needle into thin plates or laminae each of which is as large as the plant will admit All the paper is woven upon a table and is continually moistened with Nile water which being thick and slimy furnishes an effectual species of glue In the first place they form upon a table pefectly horizontal a layer the whole length of the papyrus which is crossed by another placed transversely and afterward enclosed within a press

The different sheets are then hung in a situation exposed to the sun in order to dry and the process is finally completed by joining them together beginning with the best There are seldom more than twenty slips or stripes produced from one stem of the plantrsquo (Pliny xiii 11 12) Wilkinson remarks that lsquothe mode of making papyri was this the interior of the stalks of the plant after the rind had been removed was cut into thin slices in the direction of their length and these being laid on a flat board in succession similar slices were placed over them at right angles and their surfaces being cemented together by a sort of glue and subjected to the proper deuce of pressure and well dried the papyrus was completedrsquo (ldquoAncient Egyptiansrdquo vol iii p 148) The word used here is translated lsquobulrushesrsquo in Exo_23 where the little ark is described in which Moses was laid near the Nile the lsquorushrsquo in Job_811 and lsquorushesrsquo in Isa_357

It does not elsewhere occur That the ancients were in the practice of making light boats or vessels from the papyrus is well known Thus Theophrastus (in the ldquoHistory of Plantsrdquo iv 9)

says that lsquothe papyrus is useful for many things for from this they make vesselsrsquo or ships (πλοeα

ploia) Thus Pliny (xiii 11 22) says ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt - lsquofrom the papyrus

they weave vesselsrsquo Again (vi 56 57) lsquoEven nowrsquo says he lsquoin the Britannic Ocean useful vessels are made of bark on the Nile from the papyrus and from reeds and rushesrsquo Plutarch describes Isis going in search of the body of Osiris lsquothrough the fenny country in a bark made of the

papyrus (fνβαριδιπαπυοινη en baridi papnoine) where it is supposed that persons using boats of

this description (fνπαπυρινοιςhκαφεσιπλωοντας en papurinois okaphisi pleontas) are never attacked by crocodiles out of respect to the goddessrsquo (De Isa_181-7) Moses also it will be remembered was exposed on the banks of the Nile in a similar boat or ark lsquoShe took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it With slime and with pitch and put the child thereinrsquo Exo_23

The same word occurs here (גמא gome) which is used by Isaiah and this fact shows that such boats were known as early as the time of Moses Lucan also mentions boats made of the papyrus at Memphis

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro - Phar iv 136

At Memphis boats are woven together from the marshy papyrus

The sculptures of Thebes Memphis and other places abundantly show that they were employed as punts or canoes for fishing in all parts of Egypt during the inundation of the Nilersquo (Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians vol iii p 186) In our own country also it will be remembered the natives were accustomed to make canoes or vessels of the bark of the birch with which they

often adventured on even dangerous navigation The circumstance here mentioned of the גמא go

me (the papyrus) seems to fix the scene of this prophecy to the region of the Nile This reed

grew nowhere else and it is natural therefore to suppose that some nation living near the Nile is intended Taylor the editor of Calmet has shown that the inhabitants of the upper regions of the Nile were accustomed to form floats of hollow earthen vessels and to weave them together with rushes and thus to convey them to Lower Egypt to market He supposes that by lsquovessels of bulrushesrsquo or rush floats are meant such vessels (For a description of the ldquofloatsrdquo made in Upper Egypt with ldquojarsrdquo see Pocockersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo vol i p 84 Ed London 1743) lsquoI first saw in this voyage (on the Nile) the large floats of earthen-ware they are about thirty feet wide and sixty feet long being a frame of palm boughs tied together about four feet deep on which they put a layer of large jars with the mouths uppermost on these they make another floor and then put on another layer of jars and so a third which last are so disposed as to trim the float and leave room for the men to go between The float lies across the river one end being lower down than the other toward the lower end on each side they have four long poles with which they row and direct the boat as well as forward the motion downrsquo Mr Bruce in his ldquoTravelsrdquo mentions vessels made of the papyrus in Abyssinia

Upon the waters - The waters of the Nile or the Red Sea

Saying - This word is not in the Hebrew and the introduction of it by the translators gives a peculiar and probably an incorrect sense to the whole passage As it stands here it would seem to be the language of the inhabitants of the land who sent the ambassadors usually saying to their messengers to go to a distant nation and this introduces an inquiry into the characteristics of the nation to ldquowhomrdquo the ambassadors are sent as if it were a ldquodifferentrdquo people from those who are mentioned in Isa_171 But probably the words which follow are to be regarded as the words of the prophet or of God Isa_174 giving commandment to those messengers to ldquoreturnrdquo to those who sent them and deliver the message which follows lsquoYou send messengers to distant nations in reed boats upon the rivers Return says God to the land which sent you foth and

announce to them the will of God Go rapidly in your light vessels and bear this message for it shall speedily be executed and I will sit calmly and see it donersquo Isa_174-6 A remarkably similar passage which throws great light on this occurs in Eze_309 lsquoIn that day shall messengers go forth from me (God) in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it comethrsquo

Go ye swift messengers - Hebrew lsquoLight messengersrsquo This is evidently addressed to the boats Achilles Tatius says that they were frequently so light and small that they would carry but one person (Rosenmuller)

To a nation - What nation this was is not known The ldquoobviousrdquo import of the passge is that it was some nation to whom they were ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send ambassadors and that it is here added merely as ldquodescriptiverdquo of the people Two or three characterstics of the nation are mentioned from which we may better learn what people are referred to

Scattered - (ממשך memushak) This word is derived from משך mashak ldquoto seize take hold fastrdquo to draw out extend or prolong to make double or strong to spread out The Septuagint

renders it kθνοςmicroετέωρον Ethnos meteoron - lsquoA lofty nationrsquo Chaldee lsquoA people suffering violencersquo Syraic lsquoA nation distortedrsquo Vulgate lsquoA people convulsed and laceratedrsquo It ldquomayrdquo denote a people ldquospread outrdquo over a great extent of country or a people ldquodrawn out in lengthrdquo - that is extended over a country of considerable length but of comparatively narrow breadth as Egypt is so Vitringa understands it Or it may mean a people ldquostrong valiantrdquo so Gesenius understands it This best suits the connection as being a people lsquoterrible hithertorsquo Perhaps all these ideas may be united by the supposition that the nation was drawn out or extended over a large region and was ldquothereforerdquo a powerful or mighty people The idea of its being ldquoscatteredrdquo is not in the text Taylor renders it lsquoA people of short stature contracted in height that is dwarfsrsquo But the idea in the text is not one that is descriptive of ldquoindividualsrdquo but of the ldquocollectedrdquo nation the people

And peeled - (מרט moratʖ from מרט maratʖ) to make smooth or sharpen as a swordrdquo Ezek

2114-32 then to make smooth the head of any one to pluck off his hair Ezr_93 Neh_1325

Isa_506) The Septuagint renders it Ξένονλαpνκαχαλεπόν Cenon laon kai chalepon - lsquoA foreign and wicked peoplersquo Vulgate lsquoTo a people laceratedrsquo The Syriac renders the whole verse lsquoGo swift messengers to a people perverse and torn to a people whose strength has been long since taken away a people defiled and trodden down whose land the rivers have spoiledrsquo The word used here is capable of two significations

(1) It may denote a people who are shaved or made smooth by removing the hair from the body It is known to have been the custom with the Egyptians to make their bodies smooth by shaving off the hair as Herodotus testifies (xi 37) Or

(2) It may be translated as Gesenius proposes a people valiant fierce bold from the sense which the verb has ldquoto sharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115-16

The former is the most obvious interpretation and agrees best with the proper meaning of the Hebrew word the latter would perhaps better suit the connection The editor of Calmer supposes that it is to be taken in the sense of ldquodiminished small dwarfishrdquo and would apply it to the ldquopigmiesrdquo of Upper Egypt

To a people terrible - That is warlike fierce cruel Hebrew lsquoA people fearedrsquo If the Egyptians are meant it may refer to the fact that they had always been an object of terror and alarm to the Israelites from their early oppressions there before their deliverance under Moses

From their beginning hitherto - Hebrew lsquoFrom this time and formerlyrsquo It has been their general character that they were a fierce harsh oppressive nation Gesenius however renders this lsquoTo the formidable nation (and) further beyondrsquo and supposes that two nations are referred

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

ploia) Thus Pliny (xiii 11 22) says ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt - lsquofrom the papyrus

they weave vesselsrsquo Again (vi 56 57) lsquoEven nowrsquo says he lsquoin the Britannic Ocean useful vessels are made of bark on the Nile from the papyrus and from reeds and rushesrsquo Plutarch describes Isis going in search of the body of Osiris lsquothrough the fenny country in a bark made of the

papyrus (fνβαριδιπαπυοινη en baridi papnoine) where it is supposed that persons using boats of

this description (fνπαπυρινοιςhκαφεσιπλωοντας en papurinois okaphisi pleontas) are never attacked by crocodiles out of respect to the goddessrsquo (De Isa_181-7) Moses also it will be remembered was exposed on the banks of the Nile in a similar boat or ark lsquoShe took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it With slime and with pitch and put the child thereinrsquo Exo_23

The same word occurs here (גמא gome) which is used by Isaiah and this fact shows that such boats were known as early as the time of Moses Lucan also mentions boats made of the papyrus at Memphis

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro - Phar iv 136

At Memphis boats are woven together from the marshy papyrus

The sculptures of Thebes Memphis and other places abundantly show that they were employed as punts or canoes for fishing in all parts of Egypt during the inundation of the Nilersquo (Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians vol iii p 186) In our own country also it will be remembered the natives were accustomed to make canoes or vessels of the bark of the birch with which they

often adventured on even dangerous navigation The circumstance here mentioned of the גמא go

me (the papyrus) seems to fix the scene of this prophecy to the region of the Nile This reed

grew nowhere else and it is natural therefore to suppose that some nation living near the Nile is intended Taylor the editor of Calmet has shown that the inhabitants of the upper regions of the Nile were accustomed to form floats of hollow earthen vessels and to weave them together with rushes and thus to convey them to Lower Egypt to market He supposes that by lsquovessels of bulrushesrsquo or rush floats are meant such vessels (For a description of the ldquofloatsrdquo made in Upper Egypt with ldquojarsrdquo see Pocockersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo vol i p 84 Ed London 1743) lsquoI first saw in this voyage (on the Nile) the large floats of earthen-ware they are about thirty feet wide and sixty feet long being a frame of palm boughs tied together about four feet deep on which they put a layer of large jars with the mouths uppermost on these they make another floor and then put on another layer of jars and so a third which last are so disposed as to trim the float and leave room for the men to go between The float lies across the river one end being lower down than the other toward the lower end on each side they have four long poles with which they row and direct the boat as well as forward the motion downrsquo Mr Bruce in his ldquoTravelsrdquo mentions vessels made of the papyrus in Abyssinia

Upon the waters - The waters of the Nile or the Red Sea

Saying - This word is not in the Hebrew and the introduction of it by the translators gives a peculiar and probably an incorrect sense to the whole passage As it stands here it would seem to be the language of the inhabitants of the land who sent the ambassadors usually saying to their messengers to go to a distant nation and this introduces an inquiry into the characteristics of the nation to ldquowhomrdquo the ambassadors are sent as if it were a ldquodifferentrdquo people from those who are mentioned in Isa_171 But probably the words which follow are to be regarded as the words of the prophet or of God Isa_174 giving commandment to those messengers to ldquoreturnrdquo to those who sent them and deliver the message which follows lsquoYou send messengers to distant nations in reed boats upon the rivers Return says God to the land which sent you foth and

announce to them the will of God Go rapidly in your light vessels and bear this message for it shall speedily be executed and I will sit calmly and see it donersquo Isa_174-6 A remarkably similar passage which throws great light on this occurs in Eze_309 lsquoIn that day shall messengers go forth from me (God) in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it comethrsquo

Go ye swift messengers - Hebrew lsquoLight messengersrsquo This is evidently addressed to the boats Achilles Tatius says that they were frequently so light and small that they would carry but one person (Rosenmuller)

To a nation - What nation this was is not known The ldquoobviousrdquo import of the passge is that it was some nation to whom they were ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send ambassadors and that it is here added merely as ldquodescriptiverdquo of the people Two or three characterstics of the nation are mentioned from which we may better learn what people are referred to

Scattered - (ממשך memushak) This word is derived from משך mashak ldquoto seize take hold fastrdquo to draw out extend or prolong to make double or strong to spread out The Septuagint

renders it kθνοςmicroετέωρον Ethnos meteoron - lsquoA lofty nationrsquo Chaldee lsquoA people suffering violencersquo Syraic lsquoA nation distortedrsquo Vulgate lsquoA people convulsed and laceratedrsquo It ldquomayrdquo denote a people ldquospread outrdquo over a great extent of country or a people ldquodrawn out in lengthrdquo - that is extended over a country of considerable length but of comparatively narrow breadth as Egypt is so Vitringa understands it Or it may mean a people ldquostrong valiantrdquo so Gesenius understands it This best suits the connection as being a people lsquoterrible hithertorsquo Perhaps all these ideas may be united by the supposition that the nation was drawn out or extended over a large region and was ldquothereforerdquo a powerful or mighty people The idea of its being ldquoscatteredrdquo is not in the text Taylor renders it lsquoA people of short stature contracted in height that is dwarfsrsquo But the idea in the text is not one that is descriptive of ldquoindividualsrdquo but of the ldquocollectedrdquo nation the people

And peeled - (מרט moratʖ from מרט maratʖ) to make smooth or sharpen as a swordrdquo Ezek

2114-32 then to make smooth the head of any one to pluck off his hair Ezr_93 Neh_1325

Isa_506) The Septuagint renders it Ξένονλαpνκαχαλεπόν Cenon laon kai chalepon - lsquoA foreign and wicked peoplersquo Vulgate lsquoTo a people laceratedrsquo The Syriac renders the whole verse lsquoGo swift messengers to a people perverse and torn to a people whose strength has been long since taken away a people defiled and trodden down whose land the rivers have spoiledrsquo The word used here is capable of two significations

(1) It may denote a people who are shaved or made smooth by removing the hair from the body It is known to have been the custom with the Egyptians to make their bodies smooth by shaving off the hair as Herodotus testifies (xi 37) Or

(2) It may be translated as Gesenius proposes a people valiant fierce bold from the sense which the verb has ldquoto sharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115-16

The former is the most obvious interpretation and agrees best with the proper meaning of the Hebrew word the latter would perhaps better suit the connection The editor of Calmer supposes that it is to be taken in the sense of ldquodiminished small dwarfishrdquo and would apply it to the ldquopigmiesrdquo of Upper Egypt

To a people terrible - That is warlike fierce cruel Hebrew lsquoA people fearedrsquo If the Egyptians are meant it may refer to the fact that they had always been an object of terror and alarm to the Israelites from their early oppressions there before their deliverance under Moses

From their beginning hitherto - Hebrew lsquoFrom this time and formerlyrsquo It has been their general character that they were a fierce harsh oppressive nation Gesenius however renders this lsquoTo the formidable nation (and) further beyondrsquo and supposes that two nations are referred

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

announce to them the will of God Go rapidly in your light vessels and bear this message for it shall speedily be executed and I will sit calmly and see it donersquo Isa_174-6 A remarkably similar passage which throws great light on this occurs in Eze_309 lsquoIn that day shall messengers go forth from me (God) in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt for lo it comethrsquo

Go ye swift messengers - Hebrew lsquoLight messengersrsquo This is evidently addressed to the boats Achilles Tatius says that they were frequently so light and small that they would carry but one person (Rosenmuller)

To a nation - What nation this was is not known The ldquoobviousrdquo import of the passge is that it was some nation to whom they were ldquoaccustomedrdquo to send ambassadors and that it is here added merely as ldquodescriptiverdquo of the people Two or three characterstics of the nation are mentioned from which we may better learn what people are referred to

Scattered - (ממשך memushak) This word is derived from משך mashak ldquoto seize take hold fastrdquo to draw out extend or prolong to make double or strong to spread out The Septuagint

renders it kθνοςmicroετέωρον Ethnos meteoron - lsquoA lofty nationrsquo Chaldee lsquoA people suffering violencersquo Syraic lsquoA nation distortedrsquo Vulgate lsquoA people convulsed and laceratedrsquo It ldquomayrdquo denote a people ldquospread outrdquo over a great extent of country or a people ldquodrawn out in lengthrdquo - that is extended over a country of considerable length but of comparatively narrow breadth as Egypt is so Vitringa understands it Or it may mean a people ldquostrong valiantrdquo so Gesenius understands it This best suits the connection as being a people lsquoterrible hithertorsquo Perhaps all these ideas may be united by the supposition that the nation was drawn out or extended over a large region and was ldquothereforerdquo a powerful or mighty people The idea of its being ldquoscatteredrdquo is not in the text Taylor renders it lsquoA people of short stature contracted in height that is dwarfsrsquo But the idea in the text is not one that is descriptive of ldquoindividualsrdquo but of the ldquocollectedrdquo nation the people

And peeled - (מרט moratʖ from מרט maratʖ) to make smooth or sharpen as a swordrdquo Ezek

2114-32 then to make smooth the head of any one to pluck off his hair Ezr_93 Neh_1325

Isa_506) The Septuagint renders it Ξένονλαpνκαχαλεπόν Cenon laon kai chalepon - lsquoA foreign and wicked peoplersquo Vulgate lsquoTo a people laceratedrsquo The Syriac renders the whole verse lsquoGo swift messengers to a people perverse and torn to a people whose strength has been long since taken away a people defiled and trodden down whose land the rivers have spoiledrsquo The word used here is capable of two significations

(1) It may denote a people who are shaved or made smooth by removing the hair from the body It is known to have been the custom with the Egyptians to make their bodies smooth by shaving off the hair as Herodotus testifies (xi 37) Or

(2) It may be translated as Gesenius proposes a people valiant fierce bold from the sense which the verb has ldquoto sharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115-16

The former is the most obvious interpretation and agrees best with the proper meaning of the Hebrew word the latter would perhaps better suit the connection The editor of Calmer supposes that it is to be taken in the sense of ldquodiminished small dwarfishrdquo and would apply it to the ldquopigmiesrdquo of Upper Egypt

To a people terrible - That is warlike fierce cruel Hebrew lsquoA people fearedrsquo If the Egyptians are meant it may refer to the fact that they had always been an object of terror and alarm to the Israelites from their early oppressions there before their deliverance under Moses

From their beginning hitherto - Hebrew lsquoFrom this time and formerlyrsquo It has been their general character that they were a fierce harsh oppressive nation Gesenius however renders this lsquoTo the formidable nation (and) further beyondrsquo and supposes that two nations are referred

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

to of which the most remote and formidable one whose land is washed by streams is the proper Ethiopian people By the other he supposes is meant the Egyptian people But the scope of the whole prophecy rather requires us to understand it of one people

A nation meted out - Hebrew lsquoOf line linersquo (קו־קו qav-qav) Vitringa renders this lsquoA nation of precept and preceptrsquo that is whose religion abounded with rites and ceremonies and an infinite multitude of ldquoprecepts or lawsrdquo which prescribed them Michaelis renders it lsquoA nation measured by a linersquo that is whose land had been divided by victors Doderlin renders it lsquoA nation which uses the linersquo that is as he supposes which extended its dominion over other

provinces The Septuagint renders it kθνοςQνέλπιστον ethnos anelpiston - lsquoA nation without

hopersquo Aquila kθνοςuπόmicroενον ethnos hupomenon - lsquoA nation enduring or patientrsquo Jonathan the

Chaldee ובויזא עמא אגיסא - lsquoA nation oppressed and afflictedrsquo Aben Ezra explains it as meaning lsquoA

nation like a school-boy learning line after linersquo Theodore Hasaeus endeavors to prove that the reference here is to Egypt and that the language is taken from the fact that the Egyptians were early distinguished for surveying and mensuration

This science he supposes they were led to cultivate from the necessity of ascertaining the height of the Nile at its annual inundation and from the necessity of an accurate survey of the land in order to preserve the knowledge of the right of property in a country inundated as this was In support of this he appeals to Servius (ldquoadrdquo Virg ldquoEclrdquo iii 41) where he says of the ldquoradiusrdquo mentioned there lsquoThe Radius is the rod of the philosophers by which they denote the lines of geometry This art was invented in the time when the Nile rising beyond its usual height confounded the usual marks of boundaries to the ascertaining of which they employed philosophers who divided the land by ldquolinesrdquo whence the science was called geometryrsquo Compare Strabo (ldquoGeordquo xvii 787) who says that Egypt was divided into thirty ldquonomesrdquo and then adds

lsquothat these were again subdivided into other portions the smallest of which were farms αv wρου

ι hai arourai

But there was a necessity for a very careful and subtle division on account of the continual confusion of the limits which the Nile produced when it overflowed adding to some taking away from others changing the forms obliterating the signs by which one farm was distinguished from another Hence it became necessary to re-survey the country and hence they suppose originated the science of geometryrsquo (see also Herodot ldquoEuterperdquo c 109) Hence it is supposed that Egypt came to be distinguished by the use of ldquothe linerdquo - or for its skill in

surveying or in geometry - or a nation ldquoof the linerdquo (see the Dissertation of Theodore Hasaeus קו

(qav קו) De Gente kau kaurdquo in Ugolinrsquos ldquoThes Ant Sacrdquo vii 1568-1580) The wordldquo - גוי קוmeans properly ldquoa cord a linerdquo particularly a measuring line Eze_473 2Ki_2113 lsquoI will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samariarsquo that is I will destroy it like Samaria Hence the phrase here may denote a people accustomed ldquoto stretch out such linesrdquo over others that is to lay them waste

It is applied usually to the line connected with a plummet which a carpenter uses to mark out his work (compare Job_385 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Zep_21) or to a line by which a land or country is measured by the surveyor Sometimes it means ldquoa precept or rulerdquo as Vitringa has rendered it here (compare Isa_2810) But the phrase lsquoto stretch out a linersquo or lsquoto measure a people by a linersquo is commonly applied to their destruction as if a conqueror used a line to mark out what he had to do (see this use of the word in 2Ki_2113 Isa_2817 Isa_3411 Lam_28 Zec_116) This is probably its sense here - a nation terrible in all its history and which had been distinguished for stretching lines over others that is for marking them out for destruction and

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

dividing them as it pleased It is therefore a simple description not of the nation as ldquobeing itselfrdquo measured out but as extending its dominion over others

And trodden down - (מבוסה mebusah) Margin lsquoAnd treading under footrsquo or lsquothat meteth

out and treadeth downrsquo The margin here as is frequently the case is the more correct rendering Here it does not mean that ldquothey were trodden downrdquo but that it was a characteristic of their nation that ldquothey trod down othersrdquo that is conquered and subdued other nations Thus the verb is used in Psa_446 Isa_1425 Isa_536 Isa_6318 Jer_1210 Some however have supposed that it refers to the fact that the land was trodden down by their feet or that the Egyptians were accustomed to lead the waters of the Nile when it overflowed by ldquotreadingrdquo places for it to flow in their fields But the former is the more correct interpretation

Whose land the rivers have spoiled - Margin lsquoDespisersquo The Hebrew word (זאו bazeu) occurs nowhere else The Vulgate renders it Diripuerunt - lsquoCarry awayrsquo The Chaldee reads it

lsquoWhose land the people plunderrsquo The word is probably of the same signification as בזז bazaz ldquoto plunder lay wasterdquo So it was read by the Vulgate and the Chaldee and this reading is found in four manuscripts The word is in the present tense and should be rendered not lsquohave spoiledrsquo but lsquospoilrsquo It is probably used to denote a country the banks of whose rivers are washed away by the floods This description is particularly applicable to Nubia or Abyssinia - the region above the cataracts of the Nile One has only to remember that these streams continually wash away the banks and bear the earth to deposit it ldquoonrdquo the lands of Lower Egypt to see that the prophet had this region particularly in his eye

He could not have meant Egypt proper because instead of ldquospoilingrdquo the lands or washing them away the Nile constantly brings down a deposit from the upper regions that constitutes its great fertility The ldquoriversrdquo that are mentioned here are doubtless the various branches of the Nile (see Brucersquos ldquoTravelsrdquo ch iii and Burckhardtrsquos ldquoTravels in Nubiardquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams or branches rising in Abyssinia the principal of which are the Atbara the Astapus or Blue River and the Astaboras or White River The principal source of the Nile is the Astapus or Blue River which rises in the Lake Coloe which Bruce supposes to be the head of the Nile This river on the west and the various branches of the Atbara on the east nearly encompass a large region of country called Meroe once supposed to be a large island and frequently called such The whole description therefore leads us to the conclusion that a region is mentioned in that country called in general ldquoCushrdquo that it was a people living on rivers and employing reed boats or skiffs that they were a fierce and warlike people and that the country was one that was continually washed by streams and whose soil was carried down by the floods All these circumstances apply to Nubia or Abyssinia and there can be little doubt that this is the country intended

2 CLARKE ldquoIn vessels of bulrushes ldquoIn vessels of papyrusrdquo - This circumstance agrees perfectly well with Egypt It is well known that the Egyptians commonly used on the Nile a light sort of ships or boats made of the reed papyrus Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt Pliny 4211

Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Lucan 4136

Go ye swift messengers - To this nation before mentioned who by the Nile and by their numerous canals have the means of spreading the report in the most expeditious manner through the whole country go ye swift messengers and carry this notice of Godrsquos designs in

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

regard to them By the swift messengers are meant not any particular persons specially appointed to this office but any of the usual conveyers of news whatsoever travelers merchants and the like the instruments and agents of common fame These are ordered to publish this declaration made by the prophet throughout Egypt and to all the world and to excite their attention to the promised visible interposition of God

Scattered ldquoStretched out in lengthrdquo - Egypt that is the fruitful part exclusive of the deserts on each side is one long vale through the middle of which runs the Nile bounded on each side to the east and west by a chain of mountains seven hundred and fifty miles in length in breadth from one to two or three daysrsquo journey even at the widest part of the Delta from Pelusium to Alexandria not above two hundred and fifty miles broad Egmont and Hayman and Pococke

Peeled ldquoSmoothedrdquo - Either relating to the practice of the Egyptian priests who made their bodies smooth by shaving off their hair (see Herod 237) or rather to their countryrsquos being made smooth perfectly plain and level by the overflowing of the Nile

Meted out ldquoMeted out by linerdquo - It is generally referred to the frequent necessity of having recourse to mensuration in Egypt in order to determine the boundaries after the inundations of the Nile to which even the origin of the science of geometry is by some ascribed Strabo lib 17 sub init

Trodden down - Supposed to allude to a peculiar method of tillage in use among the Egyptians Both Herodotus (lib ii) and Diodorus (lib i) say that when the Nile had retired within its banks and the ground became somewhat dry they sowed their land and then sent in their cattle (their hogs says the former) to tread in the seed and without any farther care expected the harvest

The rivers have spoiled ldquoThe rivers have nourishedrdquo - The word בזאו bazeu is

generally taken to be an irregular form for בזזו bazezu ldquohave spoiledrdquo as four MSS have it in this

place and so most of the Versions both ancient and modern understand it On which Schultens Gram Hebrews p 491 has the following re markrdquoNe minimam quidem speciem

veri habet בזאו bazau Esai Isa_182 elatum pro בזזו bazazu deripiunt Haec esset anomalia

cui nihil simile in toto linguae ambitu In talibus nil finire vel fateri ex mera agi conjectura

tutius justiusque Radicem בזא baza olim extare potuisse quis neget Si cognatum quid

sectandum erat ad בזה bazah contemsit potius decurrendum fuisset ut בזאו bazeu pro בזו

bazu sit enuntiatum vel בזיו baziv Digna phrasis flumina contemmunt terram ie inundantrdquo

bazeu subjecerunt בזאו baza Arab extulit se superbius item subjecit sibi unde praet pl בזאldquo

sibi ie inundaruntrdquo - Simonisrsquo Lexic Heb

A learned friend has suggested to me another explanation of the word בזא baza Syr and ביזא

beiza Chald signifies uber ldquoa dugrdquo mamma ldquoa breastrdquo agreeably to which the verb signifies to

nourish This would perfectly well suit with the Nile whereas nothing can be more discordant than the idea of spoiling and plundering for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every thing the fertility of the soil and the very soil itself Besides the overflowing of the Nile came on by gentle degrees covering with out laying waste the country ldquoMira aeque natura fluminis quod cum caeteri omnes abluant terras et eviscerent Nilus tanto caeteris major adeo nihil exedit nec abradit ut contra adjiciat vires minimumque in eo sit quod solum temperet Illato enim limo arenas saturat ac jungit debetque illi Aegyptus non tantum fertilitatem terrarum sed ipsasrdquo - Seneca Nat Quaest 42 I take the liberty therefore which Schultens seems to think allowable in this place of hazarding a conjectural interpretation It is a fact that the

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

Ganges changes its course and overruns and lays barren whole districts from which it was a few years back several miles distant Such changes do not nourish but spoil the ground

3 GILL ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors by the sea The Red Sea which washed the coasts of Egypt and Ethiopia and which were united into one kingdom under Sabacus or So the Ethiopian called king of Egypt 2Ki_174 and this kingdom or rather the king of it is here described as sending ambassadors by sea to foreign courts to make leagues and alliances and thereby strengthen himself against attempts made on him though some understand it of one part of Ethiopia on one side of the Red Sea sending to that on the other side and some of Tirhakah the Ethiopian sending messengers to the king of Assyria to bid him defiance and let him know he intended to fight him and at the same time sent to the Jews that they might depend upon his protection and help Isa_379 some understand this of the Egyptians sending to the Ethiopians to let them know of the Assyrian expedition and others of their sending to the Jews with the promise of a supply and the word for ambassadors signifying images Isa_4516 some have thought it is to be understood of carrying the head of Osiris and the image of Isis from place to place in proper vessels even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters or upon the face of the waters (i) where these light vessels floated without sinking not drawing the quantity of waters as vessels of wood did Both the Egyptians and Ethiopians had ships made of the papyrus (k) or biblus (l) a sort of rush that grew upon the banks of the Nile and which were light and moved swiftly and were also safest there was no danger of their being broken to pieces as other vessels on shelves and rocks and in waterfalls yea Pliny (m) says that the Ethiopian ships were so made as to fold up and be carried on their shoulders when they came to the cataracts Saying go ye swift messengers the word saying is not in the text nor is it to be supplied for these are not the words of the nation before described sending its messengers to another nation after described either the Jews or the Assyrians but they are the words of God to his messengers angels or men who were swift to do his will whom he sends to denounce or inflict judgment upon the same nation that is before mentioned with which agrees Eze_309 to a nation scattered that dwelt in towns villages and houses scattered about here and there or who would be scattered and dissipated by their enemies or drawn out and spread over a large tract of ground as Ethiopia was and peeled of their hair as the word signifies the Ethiopians living in a hot country had very little hair upon their bodies Schultens (n) from the use of the word in the Arabic language renders it a nation strong and inaccessible to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto for their black colour and grim looks especially in some parts and for the vast armies they brought into the field as never were by any other people see 2Ch_123 and they might well be said to be so from the beginning since Nimrod the mighty hunter was the son of Cush from whence the Ethiopians have the name of Cushites and is the name Ethiopia is called by in the preceding verse Isa_181 a nation meted out and trodden down to whom punishment was measured by line in proportion to their sins and who in a little time would be trodden under foot by their enemies

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

whose land the rivers have spoiled which must not be understood literally of Niger and Nilus of Astapus and Astaboras which were so far from spoiling the land that it was much more pleasant and fruitful for them but figuratively of powerful princes and armies that should come into it and spoil and plunder it see Isa_87 Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the kings of the nations of the world and so the Targum whose land the people spoil Some understand all this of the Assyrians whose army was now scattered and its soldiers exhausted who had been from the beginning of their monarchy very terrible to their neighbours but now marked for destruction and whom the Ethiopians who dwelt by the rivers despised as some render the words and others interpret them of the Jews as overrun by the Assyrian army like a mighty river by whom they were scattered and peeled and spoiled and plundered who from their beginning had been very terrible because of the wonderful things wrought for them at the Red Sea in the wilderness and in the times of Joshua and the judges and because of the dreadful punishments inflicted on them but the first sense is best Vitringa interprets all this of the Egyptians whose country was drawn out or long their bodies peeled or shaved a people terrible to their neighbours and very superstitious a nation of line and line or of precept and precept

(i) עלמיםפני super facies aquarurum Montanus (k) Hence παπυρινασκαφη paper skiffs in

Plutarch de Is et Osir and πλοιακαλαmicroινα ships of reeds which the Indians made and used as

Herodotus relates l 3 sive Thalia c 98 and so Diodorus Siculus speaks of ships made of a reed in India of excellent use because they are not liable to be eaten by worms Bibliothec l 2 p 104 to the Egyptian vessels of this kind Lucan has respect when he says -----Sic cum tenet omnia Nilus Conficitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro Pharsal l 4

4 HENRY ldquoThe attempt made by this land (whatever it is) upon a nation scattered and peeled Isa_182 Swift messengers are sent by water to proclaim war against them as a nation marked by Providence and meted out to be trodden under foot Whether this refer to the Ethiopians waging war with the Assyrians or the Assyrians with Judah it teaches us 1 That a people which have been terrible from their beginning have made a figure and borne a mighty sway may yet become scattered and peeled and may be spoiled even by their own rivers that should enrich both the husbandman and the merchant Nations which have been formidable and have kept all in awe about them may by a concurrence of accidents become despicable and an easy prey to their insulting neighbours 2 Princes and states that are ambitious of enlarging their territories will always have some pretence or other to quarrel with those whose countries they have a mind to ldquoIt is a nation that has been terrible and therefore we must be revenged on it it is now a nation scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down and therefore it will be an easy prey for usrdquo Perhaps it was not brought so low as they represented it Gods people are trampled on as a nation scattered and peeled but whoever think to swallow them up may find them still as terrible as they have been from their beginning they are cast down but not deserted not destroyed

5 JAMISON ldquoambassadors mdash messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (Isa_379)

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

by sea mdash on the Nile (Isa_195) as what follows proves vessels of bulrushes mdash light canoes formed of papyrus daubed over with pitch so the

ldquoarkrdquo in which Moses was exposed (Exo_23)

Go mdash Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (Isa_184) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia

scattered and peeled mdash rather ldquostrong and energeticrdquo [Maurer] The Hebrew for ldquostrongrdquo is literally ldquodrawn outrdquo (Margin Psa_3610 Ecc_23) ldquoEnergeticrdquo literally ldquosharprdquo (Hab_18 Margin the verb means to ldquosharpenrdquo a sword Eze_2115 Eze_2116) also ldquopolishedrdquo As Herodotus (320 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as ldquothe tallest and fairest of menrdquo G V Smith translates ldquotall and comelyrdquo literally ldquoextendedrdquo (Isa_4514 ldquomen of staturerdquo) and polished (the Ethiopians had ldquosmooth glossy skinsrdquo) In English Version the reference is to the Jews scattered outcasts and loaded with indignity (literally ldquohaving their hair torn offrdquo Horsley)

terrible mdash the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess [Rosenmuller] The Jews who because of Godrsquos plague made others to fear the like (Deu_2837) Rather ldquoawfully remarkablerdquo [Horsley] God puts the ldquoterrorrdquo of His people into the surrounding nations at the first (Exo_2327 Jos_29) so it shall be again in the latter days (Zec_122 Zec_123)

from beginning hitherto mdash so English Version rightly But Gesenius ldquoto the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further beyondrdquo (to the Ethiopians properly so called)

meted out mdash Hebrew ldquoof linerdquo The measuring-line was used in destroying buildings (Isa_3411 2Ki_2113 Lam_28) Hence actively it means here ldquoa people meting out - an all-destroying peoplerdquo which suits the context better than ldquometedrdquo passively [Maurer] Horsley understanding it of the Jews translates it ldquoExpecting expecting (in a continual attitude of expectation of Messiah) and trampled under footrdquo a graphic picture of them Most translate of strength strength (from a root to brace the sinews) that is a most powerful people

trodden down mdash true of the Jews But Maurer translates it actively a people ldquotreading under footrdquo all its enemies that is victorious (Isa_1425) namely the Ethiopians

spoiled mdash ldquocut uprdquo The Nile is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia the Atbara the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers Meroe the ldquoEthiopiardquo here meant lies) and the Astaboras or White river these streams wash down the soil along their banks in the ldquolandrdquo of Upper Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt G V Smith translates it ldquoDividerdquo Horsley takes it figuratively of the conquering armies which have often ldquospoiledrdquo Judea

6 PULPIT ldquoThat sendeth ambassadors rather perhaps messengers as the word is translated

in Isa_579 and Pro_2513 They are sent apparently by the king to his own people By the sea The

sea must in this place necessarily mean the Nile which is called the sea in Nah_38 certainly and

probably in Isa_195 Vessels of papyrus could not possibly have been employed in the very difficult

navigation of the Red Sea Vessels of bulrushes That some of the boats used upon the Nile were

constructed of the papyrus (which is a sort of bulrush) we learn from Herodotus (2 96) Theophrastus

(Hist Plant 49) Plutarch (De Isid et Osir sect 18) Pliny (Hist Nat 622) and Lucan (Pharsal

4136) They are represented occasionally on the Egyptian monuments Saying This word is interpolated

by our translators and gives a wrong sense It is the prophet that addresses the messengers not the king

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

who sends them To a nation scattered and peeled rather tall and polished or tall and sleek The word

translated scattered means properly drawn out and seems to be applied here to the physique of the

Ethiopians whose stature is said to have been remarkable The other epithet refers to the glossy skin of

the people A people terrible from their beginning hitherto The Israelites first knew the Ethiopians as

soldiers when they formed a part of the army brought by Shishak (Sheshonk I) against Rehoboam about

BC 970 (2Ch_123) They had afterwards experience of their vast numbers when Zerah made his attack

upon Asa but on this occasion they succeeded in defeating them (2Ch_149-13) It was not till about two

centuries after this that the power of Ethiopia began to be really formidable to Egypt and the miserable

Cushites as they had been in the habit of calling them acquired the preponderating influence in the

valley of the Nile and under Piankhi Shabak Shabatek and Tirhakah (Tahark) reduced Egypt to

subjection Isaiah perhaps refers to their rise under Piankhi as their beginning A nation meted out

and trodden down rather a nation of meting out and trampling ie one accustomed to mete out its

neighbors bounds with a measuring-line and to trample other nations under its feet Whose land the

rivers have spoiled rather whose land rivers despoil The deposit of mud which fertilizes Egypt is

washed by the rivers from Ethiopia which is thus continually losing large quantities of rich son This fact

was well known to the Greeks (Herod 212 ad fin) and there is no reason why Isaiah should not have

been acquainted with it

7 CALVIN ldquo

2Sending ambassadors by the sea This relates strictly to the state of those times It would appear that

this nation solicited the Egyptians or Syrians to harass the Jews or that the Assyrians employed them for

the purpose of harassing the Jews or that they had formed an alliance with the Egyptians in order that

by their united force they might prevent the power of the Assyrians from increasing beyond bounds for

nothing more than conjectures can be offered because we have no histories that give any account of it

and where historical evidence is wanting we must resort to probable conjectures These voyages there

is reason to believe were not made to any place near at hand but to a distant country

In ships of reeds (13) We ought not to think it strange that he calls them ships of reeds for it is evident

from the ancient histories that these were commonly used by the Egyptians because the channel of the

Nile is in some places very steep and dangerous to navigators on account of the cataracts which the

Greeks callΚατάδουπα so that ships of wood cannot be used at those places without being broken and

dashed to pieces on the rocks and therefore it is necessary to employ ships of pliant materials That the

ships might not admit water and thus be sunk historians tell us that they were daubed within with pitch

Go ye swift messengers This passage is obscure but I shall follow what I consider to be probable The

Prophet shews the design of his prediction or the reason why he foretold the destruction of that nation If

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

we believe them to have been the avowed enemies of the Jews the design was to afford some

consolation to believers who were wretchedly broken up and scattered that having received this

message they might rejoice and give thanks to God But if we rather think that the Jews were led by this

nation into an unlawful league we must then consider that this exhortation is ironical and that the

Prophet intended to reprove the folly of the chosen people in forsaking God and relying on useless aid

Some think that these words were spoken by God as if he commanded those nations who inhabited the

sea-coast to destroy the Jews but I am not at all of that opinion

To a nation scattered and plundered (14) I do not agree with those who think that these words describe

the destruction of that unknown and obscure nation for by ldquo plundered nationrdquo he means the Jews who

were to be grievously harassed and scattered so that no part of them escaped injury

To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto He calls it terrible because so great calamities would

disfigure it in such a manner that all who beheld it would be struck with terror I cannot approve of the

exposition given by some that this relates to the signs and miracles which the Lord performed amongst

them so as to render them an object of dread to all men for the allusion is rather to that passage in the

writings of Moses ldquo Lord will make thee an astonishment and a terrorrdquo Deu_2837 In like manner it is said

elsewhere ldquo the shaking of the head and mockeryrdquo (Jer_1816) He therefore means that they are a

nation so dreadful to behold as to fill all men with astonishment and we know that this was foretold and

that it also happened to the Jews

A nation trodden down on every side (15) קו קו (kav-kav) that is on every side as if one drew lines and

joined them so closely that no space was left between them or as if one drew furrows in a field so as to

break every clod for in this manner was the nation thrown down and trampled under foot (16)

Whose land the rivers have spoiled By the rivers he means the vast army of the enemies that is of the

Assyrians He alludes to what he had formerly said that the nation not satisfied with its own little stream

longed for rapid and boisterous rivers (Isa_86) After having applied to them for assistance they were

overwhelmed by them as by a deluge and the reason of the whole evil was this that they were not

satisfied with the promises of God and sought assistance in another quarter Now if this command is

understood to be given to the swift messengers in the name of God we infer from it that he does not

immediately assist his own people but delays his aid till they are brought to a state of despair He does

not send to them a cheerful and prosperous message while they are still uninjured or when they have

received a light stroke but he sends a message to a nation altogether trodden down and trampled under

foot Yet when he commands them to make haste he means that the judgment will be sudden and

unexpected so that light will suddenly burst forth amidst the darkness

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

3 All you people of the world

you who live on the earth

when a banner is raised on the mountains

you will see it

and when a trumpet sounds

you will hear it

1BARNES ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur Grotius however and some others suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians The meaning is that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia mustering their forces for war lsquoAll nations behold when that people collects an army sounds the trumpet for war and arrays its military forces for battle See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isa_184-7 and their turning to Yahweh and sending an offering to him Isa_187rsquo According to this interpretation it will refer to the people making preparation for battle and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - ldquonot improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib and to invade Judeardquo For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib and the object of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that this people as well as Sennacherib would be discomfited and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isa_187

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isa_526)

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isa_132)

2 CLARKE ldquoWhen he lifteth up an ensign ldquoWhen the standard is lifted uprdquo - I take God to be the Agent in this verse and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors the thunder the lightning the storm earthquake and tempest by which Sennacheribrsquos army shall be destroyed or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied as it is described in Isa_1016 Isa_1017 Isa_296 and Isa_3030 Isa_3031 See also Psa_761-12 (note) and the title of it according to the Septuagint Vulgate and Aethiopic They are called by a bold metaphor the standard lifted up and the trumpet sounded

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

The latter is used by Homer I think with great force in his introduction to the battle of the gods though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics -

Βραχεδrsquo ευρειαχθων

Αmicroφιδεσαλπιγζενmicroεγαςουρανος Il 21388

ldquoHeaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound And wide beneath them groans the rending groundrdquo

Pope

3 GILL ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth All the men of the world are here called upon either by the Lord or rather by the prophet to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation and of the salvation of his own people which should be so manifest that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain and the news of it should ring through the earth and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation addressing them in such terms assuring them that however stupid and secure they were now they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war it being usual to call any large kingdom the world and the earth see ye when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on when a standard shall be set up on the mountains to gather the people to war Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea where the Assyrians would set up their banners and blow their trumpets as follows and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye or ye shall hear the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war by which the people will be summoned and come to execute the judgment threatened The Targum is ye shall hear the redemption that is of Israel in the times of the Messiah and in the war of Gog and Magog of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy

4 HENRY ldquoThe alarm sounded to the nations about by which they are summoned to take notice of what God is about to do Isa_183 The Ethiopians and Assyrians have their counsels and designs which they have laid deep and promise themselves much from and in prosecution of them send their ambassadors and messengers from place to place but let us now enquire what the great God says to all this 1 He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains and blows a trumpet by which he proclaims war against the enemies of his church and calls in all her friends and well-wishers into her service Isa_183 He gives notice that he is about to do some great work as Lord of hosts 2 All the world is bidden to take notice of it all the dwellers on earth must see the ensign and hear the trumpet must observe the motions of the divine

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

providence and attend the directions of the divine will Let all enlist under Gods banner and be on his side and hearken to the trumpet of his word which gives not an uncertain sound

5 JAMISON ldquosee ye hear ye mdash rather ldquoye shall see shall hearrdquo Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah (ldquoHerdquo) is about to do He will ldquolift up an ensignrdquo calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa_526) on ldquothe mountainsrdquo round Jerusalem to their own destruction This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa_1712 Isa_1713 The same motive which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakahrsquos aid (Isa_366 Isa_379) Ethiopia Egypt and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy 713 bc See notes on the twenty-second chapter where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable Horsley takes the ldquoensignrdquo to be the cross and the ldquotrumpetrdquo the Gospel trumpet which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days

6 PULPIT ldquoAll ye inhabitants of the world From exhorting the messengers to hasten on their errand

Isaiah turns to the nations generally and bids them attend to a coming signalmdashan ensign is about to be

raised a trumpet is about to be soundedmdashlet them gaze and hearken the result will be well worth noting

The imagery is not to be taken literally but in the same way as the notices

in Isa_1110 Isa_1112 Isa_132 When he lifteth up an ensign 4 when he bloweth a trumpet

rather when an ensign is lifted up g when a trumpet sounds On the mountains Wherever the great event

took place the signal for it was given on the mountains of Judea (see2Ki_1920-34)

7CALVIN ldquo3All ye inhabitants of the world He shews that this work of God will be so manifestly

excellent as to draw the attention not only of the Jews but of all nations

When he shall lift up an ensign on the mountains you will see it (17) These words which are in the future

tense are rendered by some agreeably to the custom of Scripture in the imperative mood (18) but it is

better to view them as denoting what is future It is as if he had said that the most distant nations will be

witnesses of this destruction because not only will the ensign be beheld by all but the sound of the

trumpets will be heard throughout the whole world This will plainly shew that the war did not originate

with men but with God himself who will prove himself to be the author of it by remarkable tokens When

wars are carried on every one sees clearly what is done but the greater part of men ascribe the

beginning and end of them to chance On the other hand Isaiah shews that all these things ought to be

ascribed to God because he will display his power in a new and extraordinary manner for sometimes he

works so as to conceal his hand and to prevent his work from being perceived by men but sometimes he

displays his hand in such a manner that all are constrained to acknowledge it and that is what the

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

Prophet meant

4 This is what the LORD says to me

ldquoI will remain quiet and will look on from my

dwelling place

like shimmering heat in the sunshine

like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvestrdquo

1BARNES ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me - So Yahweh has revealed his purpose that is to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea and marshalling their armies for that purpose Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited and shows the manner in which it will be done He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on - as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing and the dew falls gently on the herb but that ldquobeforerdquo their plans are completed he will interpose and destroy them as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down The ldquodesignrdquo therefore of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them - for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy

I will take my rest - I will not interpose I will remain calm - not appearing to oppose them but keeping as calm and as still as if I seemed to favor their plans - as the sun shines on the herb and the gentle dew falls on the grass until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa_185-6

I will consider - I will look on that is I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete We learn here

(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked

(2) That he sees them ldquomaturerdquo them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them

(3) That he is calm and still because he designs that those plans shall be developed and

(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them He will do it in the proper time

In my dwelling-place - In heaven I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward

Like a clear heat - A serene calm and steady sunshine by which plants and herbs are made to grow There seem to be two ideas blended here the first that of the ldquostillnessrdquo with which the

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

sun shines upon the herbs and the other that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs ldquomay growrdquo

Upon herbs - Margin lsquoAfter rainrsquo (עלי־אוי ‛aZley ory) The word אוי or usually signifies ldquolightrdquo

or ldquofirerdquo The plural form (ואורות ooroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places in 2Ki_439 and Isa_2619 For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of ldquosprouting being grown growingrdquo etc are connected with that of the shining of the sun or of light that which grows in the light that is vegetables But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used unless it be in this place That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted and this interpretation makes good sense and suits the connection The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin - lsquorainrsquo In proof of this they appeal to Job_3630 Job_3711 but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning than rain The common

interpretation is probably correct which regards the word אור or here as the same as אורה orah -

lsquoherbsrsquo (see Vitringa) The Syriac reads it על־יאר ‛al-yeor - lsquoupon the riverrsquo The parallelism seems

to require the sense of ldquoherbrdquo or something that shall answer to lsquoharvestrsquo in the corresponding member

And like a cloud of dew - Such a dew was still and promoted the growth of vegetables The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose The whole passage is similar to Psa_24-5

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh Jehovah shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath And vex them in his hot displeasure

The idea is that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb or the dew upon the harvest field until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose and disconcert their counsels When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked

2 CLARKE ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah said unto merdquo - The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is that God would comfort and support his own people though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians that Sennacheribrsquos great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive when he thought them mature and just ready to be crowned with success that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses) and that Egypt being delivered from his oppression and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance both of herself and of the Jews from this most powerful adversary

Like a clear heat ldquoLike the clear heatrdquo - The same images are employed by an Arabian poet -

Solismorefervensdumfrigusquumqueardet

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

Siriustumverofrigusipseetumbra

Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet -

Caloresthyemerefrigeriumaestate

Excerpta ex Hamasa published by Schultens at the end of Erpeniusrsquos Arabic Grammar p 425

Upon herbs ldquoAfter rainrdquo - ldquoאור aur here signifies rain according to what is said Job_3611 lsquoThe cloud scatters his rainrsquordquo - Kimchi In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does

indeed explain אורו auro by מטריה matereyh and so again Job_3621 and Job_3630 This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place it is to be wished that it were better supported

In the heat of harvest ldquoIn the day of harvestrdquo - For בחם bechom in the heat fourteen

MSS (several ancient) the Septuagint Syriac Arabic and Vulgate read ביום beyom in the day

The mistake seems to have arisen from כחם kechom in the line above

3 GILL ldquoFor so the Lord said unto me The prophet Isaiah both what goes before and follows after I will take my rest these are not the words of the prophet as some think like those of Habakkuk Hab_21 but of the Lord himself signifying that he would as he always did enjoy himself amidst all the commotions that were in the world or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion of which he had said this is my rest for ever Psa_13214 or rather that he would be still and quiet and as one asleep and at rest that took no notice of what was doing nor interpose between parties preparing for war and laying schemes for the ruin of each other not help the one nor hinder the other but let them go on a while with their designs and I will consider in my dwelling place in heaven what is to be done for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth yet he sees and knows all things and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do who works all things after the counsel of his own will or I will look upon my dwelling place (o) Jerusalem Mount Zion the temple the sanctuary where his Shechinah dwelt here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour with delight and pleasure to comfort and refresh his own people so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause I will make my people to rest I will make them to rest and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good like a clear heat upon herbs or after rain as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see 2Sa_234 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain which revives the plants and herbs and makes them grow and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest which is very desirable and welcome which cools the air refreshes the earth plumps the corn and is very grateful to the harvestman

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people his presence with them the light of his countenance on them and his protection of them see Isa_45 and so the Targum blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly as heat burning by means of the sun and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest though the whole may be understood in a very different sense as it is by some thus that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below yet he in heaven beholds what is done and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs and dries them up and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it which is very hurtful in harvest time and this sense seems most agreeable to the context

4 HENRY ldquoThe assurance God gives to his prophet by him to be given to his people that though he might seem for a time to sit by as an unconcerned spectator yet he would certainly and seasonably appear for the comfort of his people and the confusion of his and their enemies (Isa_184) So the Lord said unto me Men will have their saying but God also will have his and as we may be sure his word shall stand so he often whispers it in the ears of his servants the prophets When he says I will take my rest it is not as if he were weary of governing the world of as if he either needed or desired to retire from it and repose himself but it intimates that the great God has a perfect undisturbed enjoyment of himself in the midst of all the agitations and changes of this world (the Lord sits even upon the floods unshaken the Eternal Mind is always easy) and though he may sometimes seem to his people as if he took not wonted notice of what is done in this lower world (they are tempted to think he is as one asleep or as one astonished Psa_4423 Jer_149) yet even then he knows very well what men are doing and what he himself will do

1 He will take care of his people and be a shelter to them He will regard his dwelling-place his eye and his heart are and shall be upon it for good continually Zion is his rest for ever where he will dwell and he will look after it (so some read it) he will lift up the light of his countenance upon it will consider over it what is to be done and will be sure to do all for the best He will adapt the comforts and refreshments he provides for his people to the exigencies of their case and they will therefore be acceptable because seasonable (1) Like a clear heat after rain (so the margin) which is very reviving and pleasant and makes the herbs to flourish (2) Like a dew and a cloud in the heat of harvest which are very welcome the dew to the ground and the cloud to the labourers Note There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to his people in all weathers and arms them against the inconveniences of every change Is the weather cool There is that in his favour which will warm them Is it hot There is that in his favour which will cool them Great men have their winter-house and their summer-house (Amo_315) but those that are at home with God have both in him

5 JAMISON ldquotake rest consider mdash I will calmly look on and not interpose while all seems to promise success to the enemy when figuratively ldquothe sunrsquos heatrdquo and ldquothe night dewsrdquo ripen their ldquoharvestrdquo but ldquobeforerdquo it reaches its maturity I will destroy it (Isa_185 Ecc_811 Ecc_812)

like a clear heat mdash rather ldquoat the time of the clear (serene) heatrdquo [Maurer]

upon herbs mdash answering to ldquoharvestrdquo in the parallel clause Maurer translates ldquoin the sunlightrdquo (Job_3126 Job_3721 Hab_34)

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

like dew mdash rather ldquoat the time of the dew cloudrdquo Godrsquos ldquosilencerdquo is mistaken by the ungodly for consent His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (Psa_5021) so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (Isa_341-8 Isa_5711 end of the verse 2Pe_33-10)

6 KampD ldquoThe prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world ldquoFor thus hath Jehovah spoken to me I will be still and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest For before the harvest when the blossom falls off and the fruit becomes the ripening grape then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks and the tendrils He removes breaks off They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains and to the cattle of the land and the birds of prey summer thereon and all the cattle of the land will winter thereonrdquo The prophecy explains itself here as is very frequently the case especially with Isaiah for the literal words of v 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances and without any interposition on His part until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole must as it is approaching perfect maturity It is the might of Assyria Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence without disturbing the course of the thing intended This quietness however is not negligence but as the hortative expressions show a well-considered resolution The two Caphs in v 4 are not comparative but indicate the time He

remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine (עלי indicating continuance as in Jer_818 1Sa_1432) and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth which is so favourable for the harvest by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance The plant

thought of as v 5 clearly shows is the vine By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest which coincides with the flowering of the

grape or since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa_169 the time at the close of the summer

immediately preceding the vintage Here again the Caph indicates the time When the blossoming is over so that the flower fades away and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening

grape (boser as in Job_1533 not in the sense of labruscum but of omphax and gamal

maturescere as in Num_178 maturare) He cuts off the branches (zalzalilm from zilzel to

swing to and fro compare the Arabic daliye a vine-branch from dala to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging and removes or nips off

(Note with a pausal sharpening of the tzere which is lengthened by the tone התז = התז

from tazaz or tız in post-biblical Hebrew to knock off knock to pieces or weaken (compare

tashash) On this change of vowels in pause see at Gen_1714 and compare Olshausen sect91

d For an example of the post-biblical use of the word vid b Sanhedrin 102a ldquolike two

sticks hammattızothrdquo ie one of which ldquohits the other in twordquo (hittiz apparently from tuz or

tiz like hinnıach from nuach))

the tendrils (netishoth as in Jer_510 from natash to stretch far out niphal to twist about a

long way Isa_168 compare Jer_4832) an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

concerning Jehovah The ripening grapes as Isa_186 now explains are the Assyrians who were not far from the summit of their power the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through This is the act of divine judgment to which the approaching exaltation of the banner and the approaching blast of trumpets is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia

7 PULPIT ldquoFor so rather for thus The word koh is prospective I will take my rest and I will

consider or I will be still and look on The rest of God is contrasted with the bustle and hurry of the

Ethiopians and Assyrians God sits in his holy seat calm and tranquil knowing what the result is about

to be and when it will be he waits while the influences of heat and moisture sunshine and dewmdashhis own

agenciesmdashripen Assyrias schemes impassive taking no part Then suddenly he takes the part

described in the latter portion of Isa_185 cuts off the shoots and hews down the branches Like a clear

heat upon herbs etc rather while there is clear heat in the sunshine while there is a cloud of dew in

the harvest-warmth ie while surrounding influences are such as must favor the growth of Assyrias

power and pride

8 CALVIN ldquo4But thus said Jehovah unto me After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or

their neighbors and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews or ironically

reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived he now adds that God will

regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people The

particle כי (ki) which I have translated but sometimes means for and sometimes but The latter meaning

appears to be more appropriate in this passage for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might

grievously perplex weak minds because when confusion arises there may be said to be a veil which

conceals from us the providence of God Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he

foretells that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule for as we may gather

from it there was no danger or change to be dreaded

I will rest Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah as if relying on what God had revealed

he rested that is was in a state of composure as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God

and fully expect what has been foretold In like manner Habakkuk also says On my watch-tower will I

stand (Hab_21) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him and the Lord himself

by the mouth of the Prophet makes this declaration I will rest that is I will remain unemployed

And I will look in my tabernacle (19) The phrase I will look has the same import with the former for a

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

spectator takes no part in doing but rests satisfied with looking Such is likewise the force of the

term tabernacle as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof while on the contrary he says that he

ascends the judgment-seat when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked for these modes of

expression are adapted to our capacity But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet

alludes to the sanctuary because although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among

an afflicted people yet his rest will not be without effect It amounts to this that though everything be

turned upside down so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of

the world yet he rests for an express purpose as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber and the

effect of this rest will in due time appear

As the heat that drieth up the rain (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what

he had formerly said Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophetrsquo

meaning either that God aroused as it were from his rest will shew a smiling countenance to gladden

believers or will water them by a refreshing shower and in this way the Prophet would describe their

varied success Or there is an implied contrast by which he reminds us that while God appears to remain

unemployed and to look at what is going on still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport And

yet as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse Isaiah appears to mean that

though God does not act in a bustling manner like men or proceed with undue eagerness and haste still

he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger Perhaps also

he intended to shew that in destroying this nation God will act in an extraordinary manner But we ought

to be satisfied with what I lately suggested that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the

midst of prosperity and intoxicated by their pleasures imagine that they have nothing to do with God ldquo

destruction is at handrdquo because God by a look frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world

(1Th_53) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky (21) and like the heat that drieth

up the rain

And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to

ripen the fruits and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force and

drives the moisture more inward by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive

Now the Prophet meant that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate still everything

proceeds so much to their wish that they appear to be supremely happy as if the Lord intended to load

them with every kind of blessings but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter for when

they appear to have reached the highest happiness they suddenly perish

Hence it follows that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward

appearances for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe they are not far from destruction

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

and from utter ruin Thus he speedily comforts believers that they may not suppose that it fares better

with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those

whom he sustains he will quickly reduce them to nothing These statements ought to be applied to those

wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are

prosperous and abound in all kinds of wealth and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their

power because they surpass other men in power and skill and cunning But let us know that all these

things are done by the appointment of God who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful

that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment I am aware that a widely different meaning is

given by some to these words of the Prophet but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole

passage will have little difficulty I trust in assenting to my interpretation

9 CALVIN ldquoGod can wait

I will rest God was apparently inactive and unobservant while the Assyrian was maturing his plans and

taking all his first steps But God watches the influences gathering round the growing-time of the trees

though men trace his working almost only in their fruitage The words of this passage paint with

marvelous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments God is at once

unhasting and unresting He dwells in his resting-place (ie his palace or throne) and watches the

ripening of the fruit which he is about to gather While there is a clear heat in sunshine while there is a

dew-cloud in harvest-heat through all phenomenal changes he waits still (Dean Plumptre) The figure of

a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is well illustrated by Thomson in The Land and the Book who

writes of a cloud which absolutely reposed upon the vast harvest-fields of Philistia lying on the corn

serene and quiet as infancy asleep I have never seen such a cloud in this country except in the heat of

harvest Cheyne brings out the point of this verse In the midst of all the excitement of the Assyrians on

the one hand and of the Ethiopians on the other Jehovah is calmly waiting till the fruit of Assyrian

arrogance is all but ripe Favoring circumstances are hastening the process (clear heat etc) and when

perfection seems just within reach God will interpose in judgment God can waitmdashquietly waitmdashuntil the

fullness of time has come God reproaches our restlessness by his example for our time is always

ready and by our impatience and failure in self-control we spoil a thousand things This subject may be

opened in the following way

I IN SECURING MATERIAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN GREAT NEED FOR WAITING Illustrate from the

failure of the general because he did not wait until preparations were complete or from the farmer who

loses his crops by cutting them too soon before the weather has become settled or the artist who cannot

wait to give his work the perfecting touches of his own criticism or the pastor who injures the young blade

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

by worrying anxiety over it and cannot wait to let young soul-life gather quiet strength in its own simple

ways The wisdom of waiting is harder to learn and practice than the wisdom of acting and working Yet

the motto by no means untruthfully says All things come round to him who can wait

II IN SECURING MORAL ENDS THERE IS OFTEN ABSOLUTE NEED FOB WAITING Because moral

processes can never bear forcing They vary in different individuals The lesson of virtue which one

person learns at once another grasps only as a final result of the training of a long life This point may be

opened up in relation to the work of mothers and teachers They seek moral ends They are often

distressed by the slowness of the approach to the end They must learn the importance of active

watchful waiting And in the highest sense in relation to Gods moral working we all need to hear the

voice that pleads Wait thou his time Marvelous is the long-suffering patience of him who waited while

the ark was building and waited through the ages until the fullness of times for his Christ had come

III IN MAN WAITING MAY BE EITHER STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS It may be masterly inactivity

and it may be that procrastination which loses golden opportunities

IV IN GOD WAITING IS ALWAYS WISDOM AND STRENGTH So we never need fret under it or make

mystery of it or think untrustful things about it God acts on the absolutely best moment and we should

wait on for ages and never want a thing until Gods best moment for it has come Because God can wait

we should trustmdashRT

5 For before the harvest when the blossom is gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape

he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives

and cut down and take away the spreading

branches

1BARNES ldquoFor afore the harvest - This verse is evidently figurative and the image is drawn from that which is commenced in the previous verse There God is represented as calmly regarding the plans of the people here referred to - as the sun shines serenely on the herb or the dew falls on the grass ldquoThatrdquo figure supposes that they had ldquoformedrdquo plans and that they were advancing to maturity like a growing harvest while God surveyed them without interposition

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

This verse continues the figure and affirms ldquothat those plans shall not be maturerdquo that God will interpose and defeat them ldquowhilerdquo they are maturing - as if a man should enter the harvest field and cut it down after it had been sown or go into the vineyard and cut down the vines while the green grape was beginning to ripen It is therefore a most beautiful and expressive figure intimating that all their plans would be foiled even when they had the prospect of a certain accomplishment

When the bud is perfect - The word lsquobudrsquo here (פרח perach) denotes either a ldquoblossomrdquo or

a sprout shoot branch Here it denotes probably the ldquoblossomrdquo of the grain or it may be the grain when it is ldquosetrdquo Its meaning is when their plans are maturing and there is every human prospect that they will be successful

And the sour grape is ripening - Begins to turn or is becoming mature

In the flower - (נצה netsah) The blossom This should be read rather lsquoand the flower is

becoming a ripening grapersquo The common version does not make sense but with this translation the idea is clear The sense is the same as in the former phrase - when their plans are maturing

He shall cut off the sprigs - The shoots the small limbs on which the grape is hanging as if a man should enter a vineyard and while the grape is ripening should not only cut off the grape but the small branches that bore it thus preventing it from bearing again The idea is not only that God would disconcert their ldquopresentrdquo plans but that he would prevent them from forming any in future Before their plans were matured and they obtained the anticipated triumph he would effectually prevent them from forming such plans again

2 CLARKE ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

3 GILL ldquoFor afore the harvest Or vintage the above metaphor is carried on before the designs and schemes of the people above described are ripe for execution who promised themselves a large harvest of their neighbours when the bud is perfect when the bud of the vine is become a perfect grape though unripe when the scheme was fully laid and with perfect and consummate wisdom as imagined though not brought into execution and the sour grape is ripening in the flower things go on and promise well as if the issue would be according to expectation and there would be a good vintage The sour grape may denote the temper and disposition of the above people against their enemies their ill nature and enmity to them or the sins and transgressions for which the judgment denounced came upon them

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches as the vinedresser or rather as one that has no good will to the vine cuts it with pruning hooks not to make it better but worse and cuts off not the dead withered and useless parts of it but the sprigs that have buds and flowers or unripe grapes upon them and even whole branches that have clusters on them and takes them and casts them away to be trodden under foot or cast into the fire so the Lord or the king of Assyria the instrument in the hand of God should cut off the Ethiopians or the Egyptians with the sword both small and great when their enterprise should fail and their promised success or this is to be understood of the destruction of Sennacheribs army by the angel when he was full of expectation of taking Jerusalem and plundering that rich city Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of the destruction of the armies of Gog and Magog The Targum is and he shall kill the princes of the people with the sword and their mighty ones he shall remove and cause to pass over

4 HENRY ldquoHe will reckon with his and their enemies Isa_185 Isa_186 When the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put in execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the sprigs of the vine with pruning hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the husbandman has cut to pieces And they shall be left to the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the earth to prey upon both winter and summer for as Gods people are protected all seasons of the year both in cold and heat (Isa_184) so their enemies are at all seasons exposed birds and beasts of prey shall both summer and winter upon them till they are quite ruined

IV The tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

5 JAMISON ldquoFor mdash rather ldquoButrdquo

perfect mdash perfected When the enemyrsquos plans are on the verge of completion

sour grape flower mdash rather ldquowhen the flower shall become the ripening graperdquo [Maurer]

sprigs mdash the shoots with the grapes on them God will not only disconcert their present plans but prevent them forming any future ones Horsley takes the ldquoharvestrdquo and vintage here as referring to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the ungodly from the earth and the placing of the faithful in a state of peace on the earth not the last judgment (Joh_152 Rev_1415-20)

6 KampD ldquoThe flower ldquoThe blossomrdquo - Hebrews her blossom נצה nitstsah that is the

blossom of the vine גפן gephen vine understood which is of the common gender See

Gen_4010 Note that by the defective punctuation of this word many interpreters and our translators among the rest have been led into a grievous mistake (for how can the swelling

grape become a blossom) taking the word נצה nitstsah for the predicate whereas it is the subject of the proposition or the nominative case to the verb

7 PULPIT ldquoFor afore the harvest God can rest thus tranquil because he can step in at any time and

this he is about to do before Assyria reaps her harvest When the bud is perfect etc rather when the

blossom is past and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch He shall cut

off (comp Isa_1033 Isa_1034) The metaphor is slightly varied in this place to suit the imagery of the

preceding clause where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock Formerly her boughs were to be

lopped now her branches and sprigs or sprouts are to be cut away with pruning-hooks

8 CALVIN ldquo5For when the harvest shall be at hand Literally it is ldquo presence of the harvestrdquo but we

must soften the harshness of the expressions and it cannot be doubted that the meaning of the Prophet

is that when the harvest is close at hand and when the grapes are nearly ripe the whole produce in the

expectation of which wicked men had rejoiced will suddenly be snatched from them The Prophet

continues the same subject and confirms by these metaphors what he had formerly uttered that the

wicked are not immediately cut off but flourish for a time and the Lord spares them but that when the

harvest shall be at hand when the vines shall put forth their buds and blossoms so that the sour

grapes make their appearance the branches themselves shall be cut down Thus when the wicked shall

be nearly ripe not only will they be deprived of their fruit but they and their offspring shall be rooted out

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

Such is the end which the Lord will make to the wicked after having permitted them for a time to enjoy

prosperity for they shall be rooted out so that they cannot revive or spring up again in any way

Hence we obtain this great consolation that when God conceals himself he tries our faith and does not

suffer everything to be carried along by the blind violence of fortune as heathens imagine for God is in

heaven as in his tabernacle dwelling in his Church as in a mean habitation but at the proper season he

will come forth Let us thus enter into our consciences and ponder everything that we may sustain our

minds by such a promise as this which alone will enable us to overcome and subdue temptations Let us

also consider that the Lord declares that he advances and promotes the happiness of wicked men which

tends to exhibit and to display more illustriously the mercy of God If he instantly cut down and took them

away like a sprouting blade of corn his power would not be so manifest nor would his goodness be so

fully ascertained as when he permits them to grow to a vast height to swell and blossom that they may

afterwards fall by their own weight or like large and fat ears of corn cuts them down with pruning-

knives

9 PULPIT ldquoGod can work

When his time has come Then before man can do his harvesting work when the blossoming and the

growing times are over through which God had waited when the fruit becomes the full ripe grapemdashthen

God will show how he can work putting in his implements and proving himself to be a Deliverer and a

Judge Gods working here referred to is doubtless the sudden unexpected and complete overthrow of

the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came at the time when it would prove absolutely

overwhelming and perfectly effective as a deliverance Matthew Henry states the case in this way When

the Assyrian army promises itself a plentiful harvest in the taking of Jerusalem and the plundering of that

rich city when the bud of that project is perfect before the harvest is gathered in while the sour grape of

their enmity to Hezekiah and his people is ripening in the flower and the design is just ready to be put

into execution God shall destroy that army as easily as the husbandman cuts off the vine with pruning-

hooks or because the grape is sour and good for nothing and will not be cured takes away and cuts

down the branches This seems to point at the overthrow of the Assyrian army by a destroying angel

when the dead bodies of the soldiers were scattered like the branches and sprigs of a wild vine which the

husbandman has cut to pieces

I GODS WORKING IS WELL-TIMED This is the point made specially prominent here What was

needed for the due impression of Judah and the surrounding nations was some startling deliverance

something that should be at once complete and yet should be manifestly beyond mans accomplishing

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

Such a working must be exactly timed When the success of Assyria seemed assured when its prey

seemed within its grasp and when mens hearts were failing them for fearmdashjust then the wild hot

Simoom blast swept over the army and as in a moment there were heaps of dead men and few escaped

to tell the awful story For the timeliness of Gods judgment-workings find illustration in the Flood the

destruction of Sodom the extirpation of the Canaanites the captivities and the final siege of Jerusalem

II GODS WORKING IS FULL OF ENERGY Ever setting before us the example of thoroughness in the

doing of whatever work has to be done This is in great part the reason why in making Israel his

executioner God required Israel to treat everything belonging to the Canaanites as accursed and

doomed to destruction It was for the first ages a Divine lesson in thoroughness energy and

promptitude God never works with a slack hand and his servants must not

III GODS WORKING IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE TO ITS END And that not because it

is almighty working so much as because it is all-wise working Power is quite a secondary thing to

adaptation A thing fitted to its end will accomplish it and it will be accomplished better through the fitness

than by any displays of power The end here designed was an adequate impression of the sole and

sovereign rights of Jehovah and a loud call to the nations to put their trust in him The overthrow of a

mighty army in the fullness of its pride by purely naturalmdashwhich are purely Divinemdashforces was exactly

adapted to secure this end Illustrate by the moral impression produced by great and destructive

earthquakes When the end of Gods working is the persuasion of his fatherly love then we find his

means marvelously adapted and effective He gave his Son his only begotten Son And herein we say

is love not that we loved God but that lie loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins

Be it work of judgment or work of mercy of this we may be quite suremdashGod accomplishes that which he

pleases and his work prospers in that to which he sends itmdashRT

6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey

and to the wild animals

the birds will feed on them all summer

the wild animals all winter

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

1BARNES ldquoThey shall be left together - The figure here is dropped and the literal narration is resumed The sense is that the army shall be slain and left unburied Perhaps the ldquobranches and twigsrdquo in the previous verse denoted military leaders and the captains of the armies which are now represented as becoming food for beasts of the field and for birds of prey

To the fowls of the mountains - Their dead bodies shall be unburied and shall be a prey to the birds that prey upon flesh

And to the beasts of the earth - The wild animals the beasts of the forest

And the fowls shall summer upon them - Shall pass the summer that is they shall continue to be unburied ldquoAnd the beasts of the earth shall winter upon themrdquo They shall be unburied through the winter probably indicating that they would furnish food for the fowls and the wild beasts for a long time On the multitude of carcasses these animals will find nourishment for a whole year that is they will spend the summer and the winter with them When this was fulfilled it is perhaps not possible to tell as we are so little acquainted with the circumstances of the people in relation to whom it was spoken If it related as I suppose to the people of Nubia or Ethiopia forming an alliance with the Assyrians for the purpose of invading Judea it was fulfilled probably when Sennacherib and his assembled hosts were destroyed Whenever it was fulfilled it is quite evident that the design of the prophecy was to give comfort to the Jews alarmed and agitated as they were at the prospect of the preparations which were made by the assurance that those plans would fail and all the efforts of their enemies be foiled and disconcerted

2 PULPIT ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls At length imagery is dropped The vine is shown

to be an army slaughtered all together and left a prey to kites and vultures jackals and hyaenas Shall

summer 4 shall winter They will furnish food to the beasts and birds of prey for the remainder of the

year

3 GILL ldquoThey shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth That is both sprigs and branches with the fruit of them which being unripe are disregarded by men but fed upon by birds and beasts the fruits by the former and the tender sprigs and green branches by the latter signifying the destruction of the Ethiopians or Egyptians and that the princes and the people should fall together and lie unburied and become a prey to birds and beasts or the destruction of the Assyrian army slain by the angel as Aben Ezra and others though some interpret it of the army of Gog and Magog as before observed see Eze_3917 and the fowls shall summer upon them and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them not that the one should feed upon them in the summer time and the other in the winter the fowls in the summer time when they fly in large flocks and the beasts in the winter when they go together in great numbers as Kimchi but the sense is that the carnage should be so great there would be sufficient for them both all the year long

4 HENRY ldquo

5 JAMISON ldquobirds beasts mdash transition from the image ldquosprigsrdquo ldquobranchesrdquo to the thing meant the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts the whole

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

year through ldquowinterrdquo and ldquosummerrdquo so numerous shall be their carcasses Horsley translates the Hebrew which is singular ldquoupon itrdquo not ldquoupon themrdquo the ldquoitrdquo refers to Godrsquos ldquodwelling-placerdquo (Isa_184) in the Holy Land which Antichrist (ldquothe bird of preyrdquo with the ldquobeastsrdquo his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of and where he is to perish

6 KampD ldquo

7CALVIN ldquo6They shall be left together (23) He means that they will be cast aside as a thing of no

value as John the Baptist also compares them to chaff which is thrown on the dunghill

(Mat_312 Luk_317) Thus Isaiah shews that they will be exposed to the wild beasts and to the fowls so

that the fowls will nestle in them in summer and the wild beasts will make their lairs in them in winter as if

he had said that not only men but the wild beasts themselves will disdain them Such therefore is the

end of wicked men who situated in a lofty place and thinking that they are beyond all danger despise

every one but themselves The fowls and the beasts of prey will make use of them for nests and for food

They will be thrown down I say not only beneath all men but even beneath the beasts themselves and

being exposed to every kind of insult and dishonor they will be a proof of the wonderful providence of

God (24)

7 At that time gifts will be brought to

the LORD Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned

from a people feared far and wide

an aggressive nation of strange speech

whose land is divided by riversmdash

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion the place of

the Name of the LORD Almighty

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

1BARNES ldquoIn that time - When shall thus be disconcerted and their armies be overthrown

Shall the present be brought - The word lsquopresentrsquo (שי shay) denotes a gift and is found only in the phrase lsquoto bring giftsrsquo or lsquopresentsrsquo Psa_6830 Psa_7611 It means here evidently a tribute or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him and embrace the true religion

Of a people - From a people The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa_182 Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the ldquoIliadrdquo

To the place of the name - The place where Yahweh is worshipped that is Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa_18-9) We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt and that the Christian religion was afterward established there there can be no doubt The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation and probably many of this people became proselytes and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act_210 Act_827) lsquoThe Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith In the fourth century the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius an Egyptian who raised himself to high favor at court Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet and affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia it became more decidedly Christianrsquo lsquoThe Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances such as circumcision abstinence from meats and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbathrsquo (ldquoEncyc of Geographyrdquo vol ii pp 585 588) in these facts - in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled Still as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

2 CLARKE ldquoThe present ldquoA giftrdquo - The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom by the destruction of the Assyrian army Upon which wonderful event it is said 2Ch_3223 that ldquomany brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforthrdquo It is not to be doubted that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion

Of a people ldquoFrom a peoplerdquo - Instead of עם am a people the Septuagint and Vulgate

read מעם meam from a people which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line The

difference is of importance for if this be the true reading the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be However that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter - L

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

3 GILL ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

4 HENRY ldquoThe tribute of praise which should be brought to God from all this (Isa_187) In that time when this shall be accomplished shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts 1 Some understand this of the conversion of the Ethiopians to the faith of Christ in the latter days of which we have the specimen and beginning in Philips baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 etc Those that were a people scattered and peeled meted out and trodden down (Isa_182) shall be a present to the Lord and though they seem useless and worthless they shall be an acceptable present to him who judges of men by the sincerity of their faith and love not by the pomp and prosperity of their outward condition Therefore the gospel was ministered to the Gentiles that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable Rom_1516 It is prophesied (Psa_6831) that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God 2 Others understand it of the spoil of Sennacheribs army out of which as usual presents were brought to the Lord of hosts Num_3150 It was the present of a people scattered and peeled (1) It was won from the Assyrians who were now themselves reduced to such a condition as they scornfully described Judah to be in Isa_181 Those that unjustly trample upon others shall themselves be justly trampled upon (2) It was offered by the people of God who were in disdain called a people scattered and peeled God will put honour upon his people though men put contempt upon them Lastly Observe The present that is brought to the Lord of hosts must be brought to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts what is offered to God must be offered in the way that he has appointed we must be sure to attend him and expect him to meet us where he records his name

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

5 JAMISON ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be but some time after even in Gospel times for to them this part of the prophecy refers of a people scattered and peeled this explains what the present is that shall be brought to the Lord it is a people and therefore not the spoils of Sennacheribs army as some interpret it nor yet the people of the Jews that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day as an offering to the Lord as Aben Ezra and Kimchi see Isa_1111 (p) but the Ethiopians or Egyptians described Isa_182 as here who being converted shall stretch out their hands to God submit unto him and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him when these prophecies in Psa_6831 shall be fulfilled and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch Act_827 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles and in following ages and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto that is some of the people not all of them the same people are designed as before only this Hebraism is used to show a distinction among them a nation meted out and trodden under foot whose land the rivers have spoiled these descriptive characters with those in the preceding clauses are retained to show that the same people are here meant as in Isa_182 and to magnify the riches of Gods grace in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged which show that it was not owing to themselves or any deserts of theirs but to the free favour and good will of God to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts the mount Zion hither the present was to be brought and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord even in the mount Zion the church of God where the name of the Lord is named and called upon his word is preached his ordinances are administered and where he dwells and grants his presence

6 KampD ldquoWhat effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom if it should now take place is described in Isa_187 ldquoAt that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished and from a terrible people far away on the other side a nation of command upon command and treading down whose land rivers

cut through at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts the mountain of Zionrdquo עם (a people)

at the commencement cannot possibly be equivalent to מעם (from a people) If it were taken in

this sense it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly as Knobel has done but the

important parallels in Isa_6620 and Zep_310 are against this Consequently ‛am and goi

(people and nation) must be rendered as subjects and the מן in מעם must be taken as partitive

Ethiopia is offered ie offers itself as a free-will offering to Jehovah impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah or as it is expressed in ldquothe Titan among the Psalmsrdquo (Psa_6832 probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah) ldquothere come

kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohimrdquo In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here and with this poetical rounding the prophecy itself

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massaMitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together is brought to a close

7 PULPIT ldquoIn that time shall the present be brought rather a present It would not be at all

improbable that Tirkakah should after the destruction of Sennacheribs army send a gift to the temple of

the Jews either as a recognition of the miracle as wrought by Jehovah or simply as a thank offering

Necho sent the armor in which he had fought at Megiddo to the temple of Apollo at Branchidae near

Miletus as a thank offering (Herod 2159) We have however no historical record of Tirkakahs present

as sent Of a people rather from a people (compare the next clause which supplies the ellipse of the

preposition) (For the rest of the verse see notes onIsa_182)

8 CALVIN ldquo7In that time The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen

nation for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church it appeared as if the

Church were utterly ruined and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance

Had he not opposed such designs and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies the Jews would

have despaired and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church and that though he

determines to chastise it still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing and

displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies that they may not overthrow it or succeed

in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power In order therefore to excite them to patience he

not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his

judgments for their preservation

A present shall be brought He alludes to the second verse of this chapter [Isa_182] in which we have

seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation and he employs the

word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity so that it would not be more practicable

for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple

From a people This expression deserves notice for מעם (mĕă) means that it will not be an entire nation

as if he had said though you must be reduced to a small number so as to be a feeble remnant yet those

few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and

exceedingly adapted to our times for at the present day the Church is not far from despair being

plundered scattered and every where crushed and trodden under foot What must be done in straits so

numerous and so distressing We ought to lay hold of these promises so as to believe that still God will

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

preserve the Church To whatever extent the body may be torn shivered into fragments and scattered

still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members and will never allow the remembering and the calling on

his name to perish Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered the Lord will unite and

assemble the people Those whom he joins together in one spirit though widely separated from each

other he can easily collect into one body Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers

and some of its members cut off yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord

To the place of the name This mode of expression is customary with the prophets When they speak of

the worship of God they describe it by outward acts such as altars sacrifices washings and such like

and indeed the worship of God being within the soul there is no way in which it can be described but by

outward signs by which men declare that they worship and adore God But he chiefly calls

it Mount Zion because that place was consecrated to God and God commanded that sacrifices should

be offered there The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his

word (Isa_23) to go forth from it as we have formerly seen (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be

properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God In short the prophets do not

describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ but as it was in their own time

because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered

Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by

being offered to God in sacrifice Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for

such an oblation and let him no longer live to himself but be wholly dedicated to God

(Rom_121 2Co_515) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word that is by the gospel that Paul

boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God (Rom_1516)

By the place of the name of the Lord he does not mean that his essence of which we ought not to form

any gross or earthly conception is confined to it as if God were limited to a place but because it was a

place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged and that men should

worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power and that

on account of the ignorance of the people who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty Yet it ought

to be observed that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same

faith that is without being members of the Church for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem or

to Mount Zion because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world which is

entirely devoted to God All that is necessary therefore is that the same faith dwell in us and that we be

joined together by the bond of love If this be wanting every thing about us is heathen and we have

nothing that is sacred or holy

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide

Footnotes

a Isaiah 181 Or of locusts

b Isaiah 181 That is the upper Nile region

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible New International Versionreg NIVreg Copyright copy 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica

IncregUsed by permission All rights reserved worldwide