ISAIAH 27 COMMENTARY

EDITED BY GLENN PEASE

Deliverance of Israel

1 In that day,

the LORD will punish with his sword

his fierce, great and powerful sword

Leviathan the gliding serpent,

Leviathan the coiling serpent;

he will slay the monster of the sea.

1.BARNES, In that day - In that future time when the Jews would be captive in Babylon, and when they would sigh for deliverance (see the note at Isa_26:1). This verse might have been connected with the previous chapter, as it refers to the same event, and then this chapter would have more appropriately commenced with the poem or song which begins in Isa_27:2.

With his sore - Hebrew, haqashah - Hard. Septuagint, Ten hagian - Holy. The Hebrew means a sword that is hard, or well-tempered and trusty.

And great, and strong sword - The sword is an emblem of war, and is often used among the Hebrews to denote war (see Gen_27:40; Lev_26:25). It is also an emblem of justice or punishment, as punishment then, as it is now in the Turkish dominions, was often inflicted by the sword Deu_32:41-42; Psa_7:12; Heb_11:37. Here, if it refers to the overthrow of Babylon and its tyrannical king, it means that God would punish them by the armies of the Medes, employed as his sword or instrument. Thus in Psa_17:13, David prays, Deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword (compare the notes at Isa_10:5-6).

Leviathan - livyathan. The Septuagint renders this, Ten drakonta - The

dragon. The word leviathan is probably derived from lavah in Arabic, to weave, to twist (Gesenius); and literally means, the twisted animal. The word occurs in six places in the Old Testament, and is translated in Job_3:8, mourning, Margin, leviathan; in Job_41:1, leviathan - in which chapter is an extended description of the animal; in Psa_74:14, it is rendered leviathan, and seems to be applied to Pharaoh; and in Psa_104:26, and in the passage before us, where it is twice also rendered leviathan. Bochart (Hierez. ii. 5. 16-18) has gone into an extended argument to show that by the leviathan the crocodile is intended; and his argument is in my view conclusive. On this subject, Bochart, Dr. Good (on Job 41), and Robinsons Calmet, may be consulted.

The crocodile is a natural inhabitant of the Nile and of other Asiatic and African rivers; is of enormous voracity and strength, as well as of fleetness in swimming; attacks mankind and all animals with prodigious impetuosity; and is furnished with a coat of mail so scaly and callous that it will resist the force of a musket ball in every part except under the belly. It is, therefore, an appropriate image by which to represent a fierce and cruel tyrant. The sacred writers were accustomed to describe kings and tyrants by an allusion to strong and fierce animals. Thus, in Eze_29:3-5, the dragon, or the crocodile of the Nile, represents Pharaoh; in Eze_22:2, Pharaoh is compared to a young lion, and to a whale in the seas; in Psa_74:13-14, Pharaoh is compared to the dragon, and to the leviathan. In Dan. 7, the four monarchs that should arise are likened to four great beasts. In Rev. 12, Rome, the new Babylon, is compared to a great red dragon.

In the place before us, I suppose that the reference is to Babylon; or to the king and tyrant that ruled there, and that had oppressed the people of God. But among commentators there has been the greatest variety of explanation. As a specimen of the various senses which commentators often assign to passages of Scripture, we may notice the following views which have been taken of this passage. The Chaldee Paraphrast regards the leviathans, which are twice mentioned, as referring, the first one to some king like Pharaoh, and the second to a king like Sennacherib. rabbi Moses Haccohen supposes that the word denotes the most select or valiant of the rulers, princes, and commanders that were in the army of the enemy of the people of God. Jarchi supposes that by the first-mentioned leviathan is meant Egypt, by the second Assyria, and by the dragon which is in the sea, he thinks Tyre is intended.

Aben Ezra supposes that by the dragon in the sea, Egypt is denoted. Kimchi supposes that this will be fulfilled only in the times of the Messiah, and that the sea monsters mentioned here are Gog and Magog - and that these denote the armies of the Greeks, the Saracens, and the inhabitants of India. Abarbanel supposes that the Saracens, the Roman empire, and the other kingdoms of Gentiles, are intended by these sea monsters. Jerome, Sanctius, and some others suppose that Satan is denoted by the leviathan. Brentius supposes that this was fulfilled in the day of Pentecost when Satan was overcome by the preaching of the gospel. Other Christian interpreters have supposed, that by the leviathan first mentioned Mahomet is intended; by the second, heretics; and by the dragon in the sea, Pagan India. Luther understood it of Assyria and Egypt; Calvin supposes that the description properly applies to the king of Egypt, but that under this image other enemies of the church are embraced, and does not doubt that allegorically Satan and his kingdom are intended. The more simple interpretation, however, is that which refers it to Babylon. This suits the connection: accords with the previous chapters; agrees with all that occurs in this chapter, and with the image which is used here. The crocodile, the dragon, the sea monster - extended, vast, unwieldy, voracious, and odious to the view - would be a most expressive image to denote the abhorrence with which the Jews would regard Babylon and its king.

The piercing serpent - The term serpent ( nachash) may be given to a dragon, or an extended sea monster. Compare Job_26:13. The term piercing, is, in the Margin, Crossing like

a bar. The Septuagint renders it, . Ophin pheugonta - Flying serpent. The Hebrew,

bariyach, rendered piercing, is derived from barach, to flee; and then to stretch across, or pass through, as a bar through boards Exo_36:33. Hence, this word may mean fleeing; extended; cross bar for fastening gates; or the cross piece for binding together the boards for the tabernacle of the congregation Exo_26:26; Exo_36:31. Lowth renders it, The rigid serpent; probably with reference to the hard scales of the crocodile. The word extended, huge, vast, will probably best suit the connection. In Job_26:13, it is rendered, the crooked serpent; referring to the constellation in the heavens by the name of the Serpent (see the note at that place). The idea of piercing is not in the Hebrew word, nor is it ever used in that sense.

That crooked serpent - This is correctly rendered; and refers to the fact that the monster here referred to throws itself into immense volumes or folds, a description that applies to all serpents of vast size. Virgil has given a similar description of sea monsters throwing themselves into vast convolutions:

Ecce autem gemini a Tenedo tranquilla per alta - immensis orbibus angues.

- AEn. ii. 203.

And again:

Sinuantque immensa volumine terga. Idem. 208.

The reference in Isaiah, I suppose, is not to different kings or enemies of the people of God, but to the same. It is customary in Hebrew poetry to refer to the same subject in different members of the same sentence, or in different parts of the same parallelism.

The dragon - Referring to the same thing under a different image - to the king of Babylon. On the meaning of the word dragon, see the note at Isa_13:22.

In the sea - In the Euphrates; or in the marshes and pools that encompass Babylon (see Isa_11:15, note; Isa_18:2, note). The sense of the whole verse is, that God would destroy the Babylonian power that was to the Jews such an object of loathsomeness and of terror.

2. CLARKE, Leviathan - The animals here mentioned seem to be the crocodile, rigid by the stiffness of the backbone, so that he cannot readily turn himself when he pursues his prey; hence the easiest way of escaping from him is by making frequent and short turnings: the serpent or dragon, flexible and winding, which coils himself up in a circular form: and the sea monster, or whale. These are used allegorically, without doubt for great potentates, enemies and persecutors of the people of God: but to specify the particular persons or states designed by the prophet under these images, is a matter of great difficulty, and comes not necessarily with in the design of these notes. R. D. Kimchi says, leviathan is a parable concerning the kings of the

Gentiles: it is the largest fish in the sea, called also tannin, the dragon, or rather the whale. By these names the Grecian, Turkish, and Roman empires are intended. The dragon of the sea seems to mean some nation having a strong naval force and extensive commerce. See Kimchi on the place.

3. GILL, In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword,.... Meaning either the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, quick and powerful, and sharper than a twoedged sword, Eph_6:17 or else some sore judgment of God: some understand it of the Medes and Persians, by whom the Lord would destroy the Babylonish monarchy; or rather it is the great power of God, or his judiciary sentence, and the execution of it, the same with the twoedged sword, which proceeds out of the mouth of the Word of God, by which the antichristian kings and their armies will be slain, Rev_19:15, shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent (i), even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea; by which are meant, not literally

creatures so called, though the Talmud (k) interprets them of the whales, the leviathan male and female; but mystically earthly princes and potentates, for their great power and authority, their cruelty and voraciousness, their craft and cunning; so the Targum and Aben Ezra interpret them of the kings of the earth; and are to be understood either of distinct persons, or countries they rule over: some think three are pointed at, as the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Edomites, or Romans, so Jarchi; or the Greeks, Turks, and Indians, as Kimchi. The Targum is, "he shall punish the king who is magnified as Pharaoh the first, and the king that is exalted as Sennacherib the second, and shall slay the king that is strong as the dragon (or whale) that is in the sea.'' Some are of opinion that only one person or kingdom is here meant, either the king of Egypt, compared to such a sea monster, because of the river Nile, that watered his country; see Eze_29:3 others, the king of Babylon, which city was situated by the river Euphrates, and is described as dwelling on many waters, Jer_51:13 and others the king of Tyre, which was situated in the sea; it seems most likely that all tyrannical oppressors and cruel persecutors of the church are intended, who shall be destroyed; and particularly Rome Pagan, signified by a red dragon, Rev_12:3 and Rome Papal, by a beast the dragon gave his power to, which rose out of the sea, and by another out of the earth, which spoke like a dragon, Rev_13:1 both the eastern and western antichrists may be included; the eastern antichrist, the Turk, whose dominions are large, like the waters of the sea; and the western antichrist, the whore of Rome, described as sitting on many waters, Rev_17:1 both which are comparable to serpents and dragons for their cruelty and poison; moreover, Satan, at the head of all these, called the dragon, the old serpent, and devil, must be taken into the account, who is the last enemy that will be destroyed; he will be taken and bound a thousand years, and then, being loosed, will be retaken, and cast into the lake of fire, where the beast and false prophet be, Rev_20:1. Kimchi thinks this prophecy belongs to the times of Gog and Magog. (i) Or boom, or bar-serpent, "serpentem vectem", V. L. and Montanus; the same, as the Bishop of Bergen thinks, with the "soeormen", or sea snake, which often lies stretched out before a creek, like a boom, to block up the passage; and is soon bent, in a curve, in folds, and is soon again in a straight line, like a pole or beam; see his History of Norway, p. 206, 207. (k) T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 74. 2.

4. HENRY, The prophet is here singing of judgment and mercy,

I. Of judgment upon the enemies of God's church (Isa_27:1), tribulation to those that trouble it,

2Th_1:6. When the Lord comes out of his place, to punish the inhabitants of the earth

(Isa_26:21), he will be sure to punish leviathan, the dragon that is in the sea, every proud

oppressing tyrant, that is the terror of the mighty, and, like the leviathan, is so fierce that none

dares stir him up, and his heart as hard as a stone, and when he raises up himself the mighty

are afraid, Job_41:10, Job_41:24, Job_41:25. The church has many enemies, but commonly

some one that is more formidable than the rest. So Sennacherib was in his day, and

Nebuchadnezzar in his, and Antiochus in his; so Pharaoh had been formerly, and is called

leviathan and the dragon, Isa_51:9; Psa_74:13, Psa_74:14; Eze_29:3. The New Testament

church has had its leviathans; we read of a great red dragon ready to devour it, Rev_12:3. Those

malignant persecuting powers are here compared to the leviathan for bulk, and strength, and

the mighty bustle they make in the world, - to dragons for their rage and fury, - to serpents,

piercing serpents, penetrating in their counsels, quick in their motions, and which, if they once

get in their head, will soon wind in their whole body, - crossing like a bar (so the margin),

standing in the way of all their neighbours and obstructing them, - to crooked serpents, subtle

and insinuating, but perverse and mischievous. Great and mighty princes, if they oppose the

people of God, are in God's account as dragons and serpents, the plagues of mankind; and the

Lord will punish them in due time. They are too big for men to deal with and call to an account,

and therefore the great God will take the matter into his own hands. He has a sore, and great,

and strong sword, wherewith to do execution upon them when the measure of their iniquity is

full and their day has come to fall. It is emphatically expressed in the original: The Lord with his

sword, that cruel one, and that great one, and that strong one, shall punish this unwieldy, this

unruly criminal; and it shall be capital punishment: He shall slay the dragon that is in the sea;

for the wages of his sin is death. This shall not only be a prevention of his doing further mischief,

as the slaying of a wild beast, but a just punishment for the mischief he has done, as the putting

of a traitor or rebel to death. God has a strong sword for the doing of this, variety of judgments

sufficient to humble the proudest and break the most powerful of his enemies; and he will do it

when the day of execution comes: In that day he will punish, his day which is coming,

Psa_37:13. This is applicable to the spiritual victories obtained by our Lord Jesus over the

powers of darkness. He not only disarmed, spoiled, and cast out, the prince of this world, but

with his strong sword, the virtue of his death and the preaching of his gospel, he does and will

destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, that great leviathan, that old serpent,

the dragon. He shall be bound, that he may not deceive the nations, and that is a punishment to

him (Rev_20:2, Rev_20:3); and at length, for deceiving the nations, he shall be cast into the

lake of fire, Rev_20:10.

5. JAMISON, Isa_27:1-13. Continuation of the twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth, and twenty-sixth chapters.

At the time when Israel shall be delivered, and the ungodly nations punished, God shall punish also the great enemy of the Church.

sore rather, hard, well-tempered.

leviathan literally, in Arabic, the twisted animal, applicable to every great tenant of the waters, sea-serpents, crocodiles, etc. In Eze_29:3; Eze_32:2; Dan_7:1, etc. Rev_12:3, etc., potentates hostile to Israel are similarly described; antitypically and ultimately Satan is intended (Rev_20:10).

piercing rigid [Lowth]. Flying [Maurer and Septuagint]. Long, extended, namely, as the crocodile which cannot readily bend back its body [Houbigant].

crooked winding.

dragon Hebrew, tenin; the crocodile.

sea the Euphrates, or the expansion of it near Babylon.

6. K&D, Upon whom the judgment of Jehovah particularly falls, is described in figurative and enigmatical words in Isa_27:1 : In that day will Jehovah visit with His sword, with the hard, and the great, and the strong, leviathan the fleet serpent, and leviathan the twisted serpent, and slay the dragon in the sea. No doubt the three animals are emblems of three imperial powers. The assertion that there are no more three animals than there are three swords, is a mistake. If the preposition were repeated in the case of the swords, as it is in the case of the animals, we should have to understand the passage as referring to three swords as well as three animals. But this is not the case. We have therefore to inquire what the three world-powers are; and this question is quite a justifiable one: for we have no reason to rest satisfied with the opinion held by Drechsler, that the three emblems are symbols of ungodly powers in general, of every kind and every sphere, unless the question itself is absolutely

unanswerable. Now the tannin (the stretched-out aquatic animal) is the standing emblem of Egypt (Isa_51:9; Psa_74:13; Eze_29:3; Eze_32:2). And as the Euphrates-land and Asshur are mentioned in Isa_27:12, Isa_27:13 in connection with Egypt, it is immediately probable that the other two animals signify the kingdom of the Tigris, i.e., Assyria, with its capital Nineveh which stood on the Tigris, and the kingdom of the Euphrates, i.e., Chaldea, with its capital Babylon which stood upon the Euphrates. Moreover, the application of the same epithet Leviathan to both the kingdoms, with simply a difference in the attributes, is suggestive of two kingdoms that

were related to each other. We must not be misled by the fact that nachash bariach is a

constellation in Job_26:13; we have no bammarom (on high) here, as in Isa_24:21, and therefore are evidently still upon the surface of the globe. The epithet employed was primarily suggested by the situation of the two cities. Nineveh was on the Tigris, which was called Chiddekel,

(Note: In point of fact, not only does Arab. tyr signify both an arrow and the Tigris, according to the Neo-Persian lexicons, but the old explanation Tigris, swift as a dart, since

the Medes call the Tigris toxeuma (the shot or shot arrow; Eustath, on Dion Perieg. v. 984),

is confirmed by the Zendic tighri, which has been proved to be used in the sense of arrow or

shot (Yesht 8, 6, yathatighrismainyavacao), i.e., like a heavenly arrow.)

on account of the swiftness of its course and its terrible rapids; hence Asshur is compared to a

serpent moving along in a rapid, impetuous, long, extended course (bariach, as in Isa_43:14, is

equivalent to barriach, a noun of the same form as ?, and a different word from berriach, a bolt, Isa_15:5). Babylon, on the other hand, is compared to a twisted serpent, i.e., to one twisting about in serpentine curves, because it was situated on the very winding Euphrates, the windings of which are especially labyrinthine in the immediate vicinity of Babylon. The river did indeed flow straight away at one time, but by artificial cuttings it was made so serpentine that it passed the same place, viz., Arderikka, no less than three times; and according to the declaration of Herodotus in his own time, when any one sailed down the river, he had to pass it three times in three days (Ritter, x. p. 8). The real meaning of the emblem, however, is no more exhausted by this allusion to the geographical situation, than it was in the case of the desert of the sea (Isa_21:1). The attribute of winding is also a symbol of the longer duration of one empire than of the other, and of the more numerous complications into which Israel would be drawn by it. The world-power on the Tigris fires with rapidity upon Israel, so that the fate of Israel is very quickly decided. But the world-power on the Euphrates advances by many windings, and encircles its

prey in many folds. And these windings are all the more numerous, because in the prophet's view Babylon is the final form assumed by the empire of the world, and therefore Israel remains encircled by this serpent until the last days. The judgment upon Asshur, Babylon, and Egypt, is the judgment upon the world-powers universally.

7. BI, The Church has formidable enemies

The Church has many enemies, but commonly someone that is more formidable than the rest. So Sennacherib was in his day, and Nebuchadnezzar in his, and Antiochus in his. So Pharaoh had been formerly; and he is called leviathan, and the dragon (Psa_74:14; Isa_51:9; Eze_29:3). And the New Testament Church has had its leviathans; we read of a great red dragon, ready to devour it (Rev_12:3). Those malignant, persecuting powers are here compared to the leviathan in bulk and strength, and the mighty bustle they make in the world; to dragons, for their rage and fury; to serpents, piercing serpents, penetrating in their counsels, quick in their motions, that if they once get in their head, will soon wind in their whole body; crossing like a bar, so the margin, standing in the way of all their neighbours and obstructing them; to crooked serpents, subtle sad insinuating, but perverse and mischievous. (M. Henry.)

8. MEYER, GODS CARE FOR HIS VINEYARD

Isa_27:1-13

Throughout these chapters we must remember that the doom of Babylon and the restoration of Gods people are symbolical of other events, for which the world is preparing. Then Babylon the Great shall give place to the Holy City, which comes down out of heaven from God. Egypt and Babylon are represented by the leviathan, a general term applicable to any great water animal. The one had its Nile, the other its Euphrates. Parallel with the destruction of our foes is Gods care of His own people. The Church is His vineyard. We do not keep Him, but He, us. Not for a moment does He relax His care. Those who oppose His purposes are trampled down as briars beneath the booted foot. In Isa_5:6 we have a prevision of the ultimate mission of the Hebrew race.

Note the difference in Isa_27:7-11 between punishment and chastisement. The former is irremediable and destructive, the latter is always in measure. The rough wind is stayed in the day of the east wind. Its object is to purge away our sins. After the captivity idolatry ceased out of Israel. How tenderly God gathers His wanderers-one by one as hand-picked fruit; even those who had wandered farthest and were ready to perish!

9. PULPIT, THE TRIPLE JUDGMENT ON THE POWERS OF DARKNESS. The crowning judgment

of all is now briefly described. "In that day"the day of God's vengeancewhen all his other enemies

have been put down, Jehovah shall finally visit with his sword three mighty foes, which are described

under three figuresthe first as "Leviathan, the swift serpent;" the second as "Leviathan, the crooked

serpent; "and the third as "the dragon that is in the sea." It has been usual to see in these three monsters

three kingdoms inimical to Godeither Assyria, Babylon, and Egypt; or Assyria, Egypt, and Tyre; or

Media, Persia, and Egypt. But this diversity of interpretation shows that there is no particular fitness in the

emblems to symbolize any special kingdoms or world-powers, while the imagery itself and the law of

climax alike point to something higher than world-powers being intended. "Leviathan," in Job_3:8, where

the word first occurs, represents a supra-mundane powerprobably "the dragon, the enemy of light, who

in old Eastern traditions is conceived as ready to swallow up sun and moon, and plunge creation in

original chaos or darkness"; and the "dragon" is a customary emblem of Satan himself

(Psa_91:13; Isa_51:9; Rev_12:7, Rev_12:9), the prince of darkness. The triple vengeance here is parallel

to the triple punishment, in the apocalyptic vision (Rev_19:20; Rev_20:10), of "the devil," "the beast," and

"the false prophet," who have been termed by commentators "the three great enemies of God's kingdom".

Isa_27:1

The Lord with his sore and great and strong sword. The "sword" of Jehovah is first heard of in the

Pentateuch, where it is called" glittering" (Deu_32:41). It is spoken of by David (Psa_7:12), and frequently

by Isaiah (see Isa_31:8; Isa_34:5, Isa_34:6; Isa_46:1-13 :16). Mr. Cheyne supposes the idea to have

been taken from the Baby-Ionian mythology, and seems to think it half material. But it is merely on a par

with other anthrepomorphisms. The word rendered "sore" probably means "well-tempered,"

"keen." Leviathan. Etymologically, the term "Leviathan" appears to mean "that which is coiled" or

"twisted," whence it would seem to have been primarily applied, as in the present verse, to serpents.

In Job_41:1-34, however, it manifestly designates the crocodile, while in Psa_104:26 it must be used of

some kind of cetacean. Thus its most appropriate English rendering would be "monster." The piercing

serpent; rather, the fleet, or fugitive serpent. It is a general characteristic of the snake tribe to glide away

and hide themselves when disturbed. Even leviathan that crooked serpent; rather, and also leviathan

that crooked serpent. It is quite clear that two distinct foes of God are pointed atone characterized as

"fleet," the other as "tortuous." And he shall slay the dragon. Here is mention of a third enemy, probably

Satan himself (see the introductory paragraph to this section).

10. CALVIN, 1.In that day. Here the Prophet speaks in general of the judgment of God, and thus

includes the whole of Satan kingdom. Having formerly spoken of the vengeance of God to be displayed

against tyrants and wicked men who have shed innocent blood, he now proceeds farther, and publishes

the proclamation of this vengeance.

On leviathan. The word is variously interpreted; but in general it simply denotes either a large serpent,

or whales and sea-fishes, which approach to the character of monsters on account of their huge

size. (189) A1though this description applies to the king of Egypt, yet under one class he intended also to

include the other enemies of the Church. For my own part, I have no doubt that he speaks allegorically of

Satan and of his whole kingdom, describing him under the figure of some monstrous animal, and at the

same time glancing at the crafty wiles by which he glosses over his mischievous designs. In this manner

he intended to meet many doubts by which we are continually assailed, when God declares that he will

assist us, and when we experience, on the other hand, the strength, craft, and deceitfulness of Satan.

Wonderful are the stratagems with which he comes prepared for doing mischief, and dreadful the cruelty

which he exercises against the children of God. But the Prophet shews that all this will not prevent the

Lord from destroying and overthrowing this kingdom. It is indeed certain that this passage does not relate

to Satan himself, but to his agents or instruments, (190) by which he governs his kingdom and annoys the

Church of God. Now, though this kingdom is defended by innumerable cunning devices, and is

astonishingly powerful, yet the Lord will destroy it.

To convince us of this, the Prophet contrasts with it the Lord sword, hard, and great, and strong, by which

he will easily slay an enemy that is both strong and crafty. It ought therefore to be observed, that we have

continually to do with Satan as with some wild beast, and that the world is the sea in which we sail. We

are beset by various wild beasts, which endeavor to upset our ship and sink us to the bottom; and we

have no means of defending ourselves and resisting them, if the Lord do not aid us. Accordingly, by this

description the Prophet intended to describe the greatness of the danger which threatens us from

enemies so powerful and so full of rage and of cunning devices. We should quickly be reduced to the

lowest extremity, and should be utterly ruined, did not God oppose and meet them with his invincible

power; for by his sword alone can this pernicious kingdom of Satan be destroyed.

But we must observe what he says in the beginning of the verse, In that day. It means that Satan is

permitted, for some time, to strengthen and defend his kingdom, but that it will at length be destroyed; as

Paul also declares, will quickly bruise Satan under your feet. (Rom_16:20.) By this promise he shews

that the time for war is not yet ended, and that we must fight bravely till that enemy be subdued, who,

though he has been a hundred times vanquished, ceases not to renew the warfare. We must therefore

fight with him continually, and must resist the violent attacks which he makes upon us; but, in order that

we may not be discouraged, we must keep our eye on that day when his strong arm shall be broken.

On leviathan the piercing serpent, and on leviathan the crooked serpent. The epithets applied to

describe, on the one hand, his tricks and wiles, and, on the other hand, his open violence; but at the

same time intimate that he is endued with invincible power. Since (b) signifies a crowbar, that

word denotes metaphorically the power of piercing, either on account of venomous bites or on account of

open violence. The second name, , (gn,) is derived from the verb , (gn,) to bend; and

hence it comes to be applied to crooked and tortuous foldings.

(189) word leviathan, which, from its etymology, appears to mean contorted, coiled, is sometimes used

to denote particular species, (e.g., the crocodile,) and sometimes as a generic term for huge aquatic

animals, or the larger kind of serpents, in which sense the corresponding term! (t) is also used. They

both appear to be employed in this case to express the indefinite idea of a formidable monster, which is in

fact the sense now commonly attached to the word dragon. Alexander

FT447 Ses organes et instrumens

FT448 Chantez la vigne rouge; to the red vineyard.

Ft449 See Commentary on Isaiah, vol. 1 p. 162

FT450 Si quelqu est de cet advis, je n point qu ne le suive; any one is of that opinion, I do not

hinder him from following it.

FT451 Tellement qu est constraint comme l d quand il se courrouce; that he is compelled, as it

were, to borrow it from another quarter when he is enraged.

FT452 That is, instead of making it the beginning of the following sentence, battle (or, in a hostile

manner) I will pass through them, it might be read as the conclusion of the question, shall engage me

with briers and thorns in battle? And this concluding suggestion accords with our English version. Ed

FT453 the various senses ascribed to , ( such as unless, oh that if, etc., the only one justified by usage

is the disjunctive sense of or. Alexander

FT454 Ils sentiront la pesanteur de ma main; shall feel the weight of my hand.

FT455 That is, our Author is of opinion that ( frequently has the same force as the Latin interrogative

particle An. Ed

FT456 Ce vaut-neant-ci; good-for-nothing.

FT457 Sans feintise; hypocrisy.

FT458 Such is Calvin translation of , (b coming, which, occupying a somewhat anomalous position

at the beginning of the verse, has perplexed the critics. The usual and best defended supplement is ,

(y,) days, and thus the construction is supposed to be, coming days. The French version takes ci-

apres , the Italian has (lang. it) Ne giorni a venire , the days to come; Luther version has As mirb

bennoch bazu fummen , it will come to this. Our English version connects the word with and makes it

to signify that come of Jacob, which is countenanced by the Septuagint, ,

that come, the children of Jacob, but does not appear to have the support of any modern critic or version.

Ed

FT459 he smitten him as he smote (Heb., according to the stroke of) those that smote him? Eng.

Ver.

FT460 Ne plus ne moins que si le feu y avoit pass; exactly the same manner as if fire had passed

on them.

FT461 Et mis en chemin de salut; led into the way of salvation.

FT462 Quiconque se flatte en son ordure, il attirera sur sa teste infalliblement l de Dieu; flatters

himself in his pollution will infallibly draw down on his head the wrath of God.

FT463 consume the branches thereof. Eng. Ver.

FT464 the boughs thereof are withered. Eng. Ver.

FT465 See p. 83

FT466 See Commentary on Isaiah, vol. 1 p. 96

FT467 glorious beauty is a fading flower. Eng. Ver.

FT468 to Samaria, the proud chaplet of the drunkards of Ephraim, which stands at the head of a rich

valley belonging to a race of sots! the ancient Samaria, is situated on a long mount of an oval figure,

having first a fruitful valley, and then a ring of hills running round about it. Maundrell, p. 58. Hence it is

likened to a chaplet, or wreath of flowers, worn upon the head by Jews, as well as Greeks and Romans,

at their banquets, as may be seen, Wis_2:7. Stock

FT469 De la vallee grasse; the fat valley.

FT470 Tyran de Sicile; of Sicily.

FT471 Justin, in a rapid sketch of that tyrant, informs us that, having defeated his rivals, he abandoned

himself to indolence and gluttony, which brought on such weakness of sight that he could not bear day-

light; that the consciousness of being despised on account of his blindness made him more cruel than

before, and led him to fill the city with murders as much as his father had filled the jails with prisoners, so

that he became universally hated and despised. Justin, Hist. 1. 21, c. 11. The appalling facts are

confirmed by other historians. Ed

FT472 Puis donc qu sont coulpables d mesme ingratitude; they are guilty of the same ingratitude.

FT473 Aux despens de leurs freres; the expense of their brethren.

FT474 Que nous regimbons contre l; we kick against the spur.

FT475 A des petis enfans n sevrez; young infants hardly weaned.

FT476 Que tous apportent du ventre de la mere; all bring from their mother womb.

FT477 Afin de ne fascher les oreilles des lecteurs.

2 In that day

Sing about a fruitful vineyard:

1.BARNES, Sing ye unto her - That is, sing unto, or respecting the vineyard. The word

rendered sing ( anu) signifies properly, answer, respond to; and then, sing a responsive song, where one portion of the choir responds to another (see Exo_15:21). This has been well expressed here by Lowth in his translation:

To the beloved Vineyard, sing ye a responsive song.

It is the commencement of a song, or hymn respecting Judea, represented under the image of a vineyard, and which is probably confirmed to the close of the chapter.

A vineyard - (see the notes at Isa_5:1 ff) The Hebrew phrase rendered a vineyard of red wine is the title to the song; or the responsive song respects the vineyard of red wine.

Of red wine - ( chemer). Lowth proposes to read instead of this, chemed, pleasantness, beauty, or beloved. He observes that many manuscripts have this meaning, and

that it is followed by the Septuagint and the Chaldee. The Septuagint reads it: FK

Ampelon kallos - Beautiful vineyard. This would well suit the connection, and this slight error in transcribing might have easily occurred. But the authority in the manuscripts for the change is

not conclusive. The word which now occurs in the text denotes properly wine, from cha

mar, to ferment. The word chamar also has the signification to be red Psa_75:9; Job_16:16; and according to this, our translators have rendered it of red wine. Bochart (Geog. Sac. ii. 1, 29) renders it, A vineyard fertile in producing wine. The correct translation would be one that would not seem very congruous in our language, a vineyard of wine, or a wine-vineyard.

2. CLARKE, Sing ye unto her - anulah. Bishop Lowth translates this, Sing ye a

responsive song; and says that anah, to answer, signifies occasionally to sing responsively; and that this mode of singing was frequently practiced among the ancient Hebrews. See De Poes. Sac. Hebrews Prael. xix., at the beginning.

This, indeed, was the ancient method of singing in various nations. The song was divided into distinct portions, and the singers sang alternately. There is a fine specimen of this in the song of Deborah and Barak; and also in the Idyls of Theocritus, and the Eclogues of Virgil.

This kind of singing was properly a dialogue in verse, sung to a particular tune, or in the mode which is now termed recitativo. I have seen it often practiced on funeral occasions among the descendants of the aboriginal Irish. The poems of Ossian are of this kind.

The learned Bishop distinguishes the parts of this dialogue thus: -

3. Jehovah. It is I, Jehovah, that preserve her; I will water her every moment: I will take care of her by night; And by day I will keep guard over her.

4. Vineyard. I have no wall for my defense: O that I had a fence of the thorn and brier! Jehovah. Against them should I march in battle, I should burn them up together.

5. Ah! let her rather take hold of my protection. Vineyard. Let him make peace with me! Peace let him make with me!

6. Jehovah. They that come from the root of Jacob shall flourish, Israel shall bud forth; And they shall fill the face of the world with fruit.

A vineyard of red wine - The redder the wine, the more it was valued, says Kimchi.

Bishop Lowth translates, To the beloved vineyard. For chemer, red, a multitude of MSS.

and editions have chemed, desirable. This is supported by the Septuagint and Chaldee.

3. GILL, In that day sing ye unto her,.... The congregation of Israel, as the Targum; or rather the church of Christ; for after, and upon the destruction of his and her enemies, there will be great rejoicing and singing alternately, and by responses, as the word signifies; see Rev_15:1. Gussetius (l) renders it, "afflict her"; as if spoken by the Lord to the enemies to do their worst to her, and he would take care of her, that it shall be in vain, and to no purpose, since he would keep her: A vineyard of red wine; as the people of the Jews are compared to one, Isa_5:1 so is the church of Christ under the Gospel dispensation; see Son_8:11 a vineyard is a spot of ground separated from others, and the church and people of God are separated from the rest of the world by electing, redeeming, and calling grace; a vineyard is a place set with various vines, so is the church; there is Christ the true vine, the principal one, which stands in the first place, Joh_15:1 and there are particular congregated churches, which belong to the vineyard, the general or catholic church, Son_2:13 and there are particular believers that may be so called, Son_6:11 moreover, sometimes in vineyards other trees are planted besides vines, as barren fig trees, Luk_13:6 and so there are in the visible church of God nominal believers, carnal professors, trees without fruit; there are no true vines but such as are ingrafted and planted in Christ, and who, through union to him, and abiding in him, bring forth fruit; a vineyard is the property of some one person, as this is of Christ, whose it is by his own choice, by his Father's gift, by inheritance, by purchase, as well as it is of his planting, and under his care; vineyards are valuable, pleasant, and profitable, but exposed to beasts of prey, and therefore to be fenced and guarded; all which may be applied to the church of Christ, which shall, in the latter day especially, be very fruitful, and answer to this character given her in this song, a vineyard "of red wine"; the allusion is to such a vineyard, in which vines grow, that bring forth grapes, productive of the best wine, as the red was reckoned in the eastern countries; see Gen_49:12 and so Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it; this is a vineyard very different from that in Isa_5:5 and from the vine of Israel, Hos_10:1 the fruit of it, signified by "red wine", may intend the graces of the Spirit, which like grapes, the fruit of the vine, grow in clusters; where one is, all of them are, and come from Christ, the vine, from whom all the fruit of divine grace is found: and which receive their tincture from the blood of Christ, their vigour and their usefulness; and may be said, like wine, to cheer the heart of God and man, Jdg_9:13 grace when in exercise is delightful to God and Christ, Son_4:9 and gives pleasure to other saints, Psa_34:1 and as the fruit of the vine must be squeezed ere the liquor can be had, so the graces of the Spirit are tried by afflictive dispensations of Providence, by which the preciousness and usefulness of them are made known; moreover, the fruits of righteousness, or good works, may be also intended, by which the graces of faith and repentance are evidenced, and which, when performed aright, are acceptable to God through Christ, and profitable to men; and for these fruits of grace and good works the church will be famous in the latter day.

4. HENRY, That she is God's vineyard, and is under his particular care, Isa_27:2, Isa_27:3. She is, in God's eye, a vineyard of red wine. The world is as a fruitless worthless wilderness; but

the church is enclosed as a vineyard, a peculiar place, and of value, that has great care taken of it and great pains taken with it, and from which precious fruits are gathered, wherewith they honour God and man. It is a vineyard of red wine, yielding the best and choicest grapes, intimating the reformation of the church, that it now brings forth good fruit unto God, whereas before it brought forth fruit to itself, or brought forth wild grapes, Isa_5:4. Now God takes care, (1.) Of the safety of this vineyard: I the Lord do keep it. He speaks this as glorying in it that he is, and has undertaken to be, the keeper of Israel. Those that bring forth fruit to God are and shall be always under his protection. He speaks this as assuring us that they shall be so: I the Lord, that can do every thing, but cannot lie nor deceive, I do keep it; lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. God's vineyard in this world lies much exposed to injury; there are many that would hurt it, would tread it down and lay it waste (Psa_80:13); but God will suffer no real hurt or damage to be done it, but what he will bring good out of. He will keep it constantly, night and day, and not without need, for the enemies are restless in their designs and attempts against it, and, both night and day, seek an opportunity to do it a mischief. God will keep it in the night of affliction and persecution, and in the day of peace and prosperity, the temptations of which are no less dangerous. God's people shall be preserved, not only from the pestilence that walketh in darkness, but from the destruction that wasteth at noon-day, Psa_91:6. This vineyard shall be well fenced. (2.) Of the fruitfulness of this vineyard: I will water it every moment, and yet it shall not be overwatered. The still and silent dews of God's grace and blessing shall continually descend upon it, that it may bring forth much fruit. We need the constant and continual waterings of the divine grace; for, if that be at any time withdrawn, we wither, and come to nothing. God waters his vineyard by the ministry of the word by his servants the prophets, whose doctrine shall drop as the dew. Paul plants, and Apollos waters, but God gives the increase; for without him the watchman wakes and the husbandman waters in vain.

5. JAMISON, In that day when leviathan shall be destroyed, the vineyard (Psa_80:8), the Church of God, purged of its blemishes, shall be lovely in Gods eyes; to bring out this sense the better, Lowth, by changing a Hebrew letter, reads pleasant, lovely, for red wine.

sing a responsive song [Lowth].

unto her rather, concerning her (see on Isa_5:1); namely, the Jewish state [Maurer].

6. K&D, The prophecy here passes for the fourth time into the tone of a song. The church recognises itself in the judgments upon the world, as Jehovah's well-protected and beloved vineyard.

In that day a merry vineyard - sing it! I, Jehovah, its keeper, Every moment I water it. That nothing may come near it, I watch it night and day. Wrath have I none; O, had I thorns, thistles before me! I would make up to them in battle, Burn them all together. Men would then have to grasp at my protection, Make peace with me, Make peace with me.

Instead of introducing the song with, In that day shall this song be sung, or some such introduction, the prophecy passes at once into the song. It consists in a descending scale of strophes, consisting of one of five lines (Isa_27:2, Isa_27:3), one of four lines (Isa_27:4), and

one of three lines (Isa_27:5). The thema is placed at the beginning, in the absolute case: cerem

chemer. This may signify a vineyard of fiery or good wine (compare ceremzaith in Jdg_15:5); but

it is possible that the reading should be cerem chemed, as in Isa_32:12, as the lxx, Targum, and

most modern commentators assume. P

signifies, according to Num_21:17; Psa_147:7 (cf., Exo_32:18; Psa_88:1), to strike up a song with reference to anything - an onomatopoetic word

(different from , to begin, literally to meet). Cerem (the vineyard) is a feminine here, like T, the well, in the song of the well in Num_21:17-18, and just as Israel, of which the vineyard here is a symbol (Isa_3:14; Isa_5:1.), is sometimes regarded as masculine, and at other times as feminine (Isa_26:20). Jehovah Himself is introduced as speaking. He is the keeper of the

vineyard, who waters it every moment when there is any necessity (lirgaim, like labbekarim in

Isa_33:2, every morning), and watches it by night as well as by day, that nothing may visit it.

U (to visit upon) is used in other cases to signify the infliction of punishment; here it denotes visitation by some kind of misfortune. Because it was the church purified through afflictions, the feelings of Jehovah towards it were pure love, without any admixture of the burning of anger

(chemah). This is reserved for all who dare to do injury to this vineyard. Jehovah challenges

these, and says, Who is there, then, that gives me thorns, thistles! V = V, as in Jer_9:1, cf.,

Jos_15:19.) The asyndeton, instead of , which is customary elsewhere, corresponds to the excitement of the exalted defender. If He had thorns, thistles before Him, He would break

forth upon them in war, i.e., make war upon them (bah, neuter, upon such a mass of bush), and

set it all on fire ( = X). The arrangement of the strophes requires that we should connect

YZ with (var. ), though this is at variance with the accents. We may see very

clearly, even by the choice of the expression bammilchamah, that thorns and thistles are a figurative representation of the enemies of the church (2Sa_23:6-7). And in this sense the song

concludes in Isa_27:5 : only by yielding themselves to mercy will they find mercy. with a

voluntative following, unless, as in Lev_26:41. Take hold of: hechezik b', as in 1Ki_1:50, of

Adonijah, who lays hold of the horns of the altar. Make peace with: asah shaloml', as in Jos_9:15. The song closes here. What the church here utters, is the consciousness of the gracious protection of its God, as confirmed in her by the most recent events.

7. BI, The Church a vineyard of red wine

The Church of God is here compared to a vineyard. The vine is a tender plant, needing continual care; and if the vineyard is not well fenced and guarded, the enemies of the vine are sure to get in and destroy it. The Church is called a vineyard of red wine, because the red grape happened to be the best kind grown in Palestine; and, in like manner, Gods Church is to Him the best of the best, the excellent of the earth, in whom is all His delight. But what is true of the whole Church is also true of every member; the

same God who keeps the vineyard also protects every vine, nay, not only so, but His care extends to every little branch, to every-spreading leaf, and to every clinging tendril of that vine which He undertakes to keep night and day. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

The vineyard of red wine

In what day? The day of threatening and punishment of the wicked. The Church needs encouragement amid danger and darkness. And God gives it when required.

I. WHAT SHE IS. A vineyard of red wine. A common figure of the Church. It is to intimate

1. That members are separate from the world and enclosed around.

2. That they are cultivated and eared for. They differ from the world as flowers from weeds, a garden from a wilderness.

3. That they are owned. Believers are Gods people, His chosen inheritance, His private property.

4. That they are profitable. A vineyard yields fruit, and so adds to the advantage of its owner. It is a vineyard of red wine. A vineyard from which is extracted the richest juice. Everything of Gods doing is not only perfect, but superior. Everything with which He supplies His people is the best. Their peace passeth understanding. Their joy is full of glory.

II. WHAT SHE IS TO POSSESS. I, the Lord, do keep it, etc. Here is

1. Guardianship. The Keeper gives His whole attention to Its protection. How wise a guardian is God! Lest any hurt it. His whole army of angels act as a guard with their flaming swords.

2. Provisions. I will water it. The act of watering means all the necessary provision required for the nourishment of the vines and the production of fruit. The Holy Spirit is likened to the water of life, which Christ has promised to give freely to all who ask Him. There are also His ordinances and sacraments.

3. Vigilance. Keep it constantlynight and day. The great God slumbers not nor sleeps. His eye is ever on His people. No foe can elude His guardianship. (Homilist.)

The Church as Gods vineyard

What a contrast between the vineyard here spoken of and that whose history was given in the fifth chapter of this prophet. That was a favoured vineyard. Everything was done for it to promote its fruitfulness; but what sort of fruit did it produce? God looked that it should bring forth grapes: and it brought forth wild grapes. What happened then? His indignation fell upon it. By that unfruitful vineyard was represented the Jewish people. But now turn and behold the other vineyard

- that which is brought before us by my text. This vineyard is the real,spiritual Church of the Redeemer.

I. THE DESCRIPTION GIVEN OF THIS VINEYARD. The spiritual Church of Jesus is a vineyard of red wine.

1. By this red wine may be intended, perhaps in part, the faith of Christs elect people. Red wine was in great esteem amongst ancient Jews, as appears in Pro_23:31.

2. The Lord may call His Church a vineyard of red wine, in reference to the love she bears to Him.

3. Christs Church is a vineyard of red wine, because she abounds in all the fruits of righteousness.

II. THE PRIVILEGE WHICH IT IS REPRESENTED AS ENJOYING. The vineyards of the Jews were carefully kept and cultivated. The vines in the country of the Jews appear to have needed constant watering. The Lords spiritual vineyard needs perpetual watering from above. These natural vineyards in which the Jewish land abounded required, however, something more than cultivation. A chief part of the duty of the keepers of the vineyard was to protect the vines from depredation. And is the spiritual vineyard less exposed? (A. Roberts, M. A.)

Gods care for His vineyard a subject for song

To them who are ready to conclude that God hath forgotten to be gracious these words may prove a source of encouragement. They

I. REPRESENT THE PEOPLE OF GOD AS A VINEYARD. As God values His vineyard for the same reasons that men value their vineyards (because of its fruit), it behoves us to inquire what sort of fruit it is which makes His vineyard valuable to Him. All the asperities of disposition and all the want of spiritual excellence, which we may suppose are designed by wild grapes, must give place to whatsoever things are true; whatsoever things are honest; whatsoever things are just; whatsoever things are pure; whatsoever things are lovely, and whatsoever things are of good report. Love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, must adorn and beautify your character.

II. DESCRIBE GODS CARE FOR HIS VINEYARD. The care of God for His vineyard is manifested in two ways: by His unceasing attention to the culture and growth of these heavenly fruits, and by His unremitting vigilance in preserving it. The soil is not congenial with a plant of heavenly origin. For the heart of man is hard and unfruitful. The clime of this world is cold and variable: the atmosphere tainted with sin; and every wind of passion blights and withers the vine. If the sun of persecution and trouble smites it too often it is scorched. He, therefore, who has planted it for His own glory, and who is always glorified when it brings forth much fruit, watches over it, tends it with solicitude. There is not one moment when you who love and serve God cease to be the objects of His care, and of His renovating influence.

III. A SUBJECT FOR SONG. This song implies, that the people of God have the knowledge and enjoyment of His care and protection. It is not the will of God that you who have repented, and are doing works meet for repentance; who have believed in Christ, and have a faith which worketh by love, should continue in doubt and uncertainty respecting your state. As the song should be appropriate to the occasion and suitable to the subject, the song which we are to sing is

1. A song of adoring admiration.

2. Of joyful gratitude.

3. Of holy confidence.

4. Of deep humility.

You are called upon to be humble because you have nothing that you have not received, but also because, after having received so much, and after being laid under obligations so many and so distinguishing, you make returns so inadequate and so unsuitable. (M. Jackson.)

Isaiah 27:3 I, the Lord, do keep it

The Lord the Keeper of His people

There is nothing to which we are naturally more prone, nothing more dangerous, nothing so difficult to eradicate as self-confidence. And yet there is nothing so delightful as to feel that we have not anything in ourselves in which we can be confident. For the moment we have arrived at that experience we are prepared to turn to Him without whom we can do nothing.

I. IN WHAT SENSE THE LORD IS THE KEEPER OF HIS PEOPLE.

1. In one sense the Lord is the keeper of all; for in Him all live, and move, and have their being. And the Apostle Paul (1Ti_4:10) speaks of Him as the Saviour, or preserver, of all men, specially of those that believe.

2. He speaks of keeping them as a city from an enemy.

3. He speaks again of keeping them as a vineyard from foxes. In Son_2:15 we read, Take us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes. Those things which may appear gentle and innocent have a tendency to undermine the work of indwelling grace.

4. Again, the Lord speaks of keeping His people as the apple of His eye.

5. I might speak again of the fires of persecution, through which His people are called to pass. For here again the Lord is the Keeper of His people.

6. He not only defends and preserves His people, but He keeps them refreshed in seasons of drought by continual and plentiful supplies of mercy and grace. So in the text He says, I will water it every moment?

II. WHEN IS IT THAT HE KEEPS THEM? By day and by night. He watches over them continually, in the bright day of prosperity and in the dark night of adversity.

III. HOW IS IT THAT THE LORD KEEPS HIS PEOPLE?

1. By His angels (Heb_1:14).

2. By His ministers; by their warning voice in public; or by that advice and reproof, and instruction which they give in private.

3. By His providential dispensations.

4. By His own omnipotent arm. His people are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

IV. WHAT WARRANT WE HAVE AS HIS PEOPLE TO EXPECT THAT THE LORD WILL BE OUR KEEPER.

1. The first plain proof of this is, that as His people we are not our own, but given to Christ.

2. Coupled with this, we may consider the faithfulness of Jesus (2Th_3:3).

3. Connect with this, the consideration of the love of Jesus for His people.

4. Indeed, we have as believers the warrant of the Triune Jehovah for believing that the Lord will be our keeper. Bear in mind that, until the time when knowledge shall be increased, and faith and hope end in sight and enjoyment, we shall never be aware of the full extent of our obligations to

Him as the Keeper of His people. Yet, while we thankfully lay hold of the comfort which this truth is calculated to give, let us remember that our own responsibility is not overthrown. On the contrary, it is increased. For though encouraged to trust in the Lord as our keeper, there is no excuse for neglect of duty on account of our own weakness; but rather encouragement to say with the apostle, I can do all things through Christ, who strengtheneth me. (M. Villiers M. A.)

Gods care of His vineyard

God takes care

I. Of the SAFETY of this vineyard. I, the Lord, do keep it.

II. Of the FRUITFULNESS of this vineyard. I will water it every moment, and yet it shall not be over watered. (M. Henry.)

The keeper of the vineyard

I. THE CONTINUAL KEEPING which the Lord promises to His vineyard.

1. Do I need keeping?

2. Can I not keep myself?

3. Do I enjoy this keeping?

II. THE LORDS CONTINUAL WATERING.

1. Do I need watering within as well as keeping without? Yes, for there is not a single grace I have that can live an hour without being divinely watered. Besides, the soil in which I am planted is very dry. Then, the atmosphere that is round about us does not naturally yield us any water. The means of grace, which are like clouds hovering over our heads, are often nothing but clouds. The beauty of the text seems to me to lie in the last two words: I will water it every moment.

2. Have we all realised, as a matter of experience, that the Lord does water us every moment? (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Kept and watered

God is both a wall and a well to His people. (C. H.Spurgeon)

Gods vine needs keeping

1. There is the arch enemy; how he longs to lay the axe at the roots of Gods vines!

2. There is a wild boar of the woods, that would fain tear us up by the roots; I mean, that wild boar of unbelief that is constantly prowling around us. How does it seek with its sharp tusks to bark our vines and fig trees!

3. Then, the vine is often subject to injury from various kinds of insects. We have the fly of pride.

4. Then, the vine is subject to the attacks of the little foxes that Solomon speaks of,I mean, false doctrine and sceptical teaching.

5. Besides, when we have a few grapes that are beginning to ripen there are the birds that come and try to pick the fruit,those dark-winged thoughts of worldliness and selfishness which come to us all. (C. H. Spurgeon)

God the Keeper of His vineyard

A vineyard will engross the whole of a mans timeperhaps the time of many men. The nourishing of the soil, the pruning of the branches, the syringing of the leaves, the thinning of the grapes, the support of the heavy clustersall demand constant and assiduous care. There is a tendency in all cultivated things to go back to their original type. However it may be made to agree with the modern ideas of development and evolution, it is nevertheless a fact that the fairest results of human skill are not in themselves permanent; but tend ever backward to the rudest and simplest forms of their speciesthe apple tree to the crab, the vine of Sorek to the wild vine of the hills. Therefore the keeper of the vineyard is ever engaged in fighting every tendency towards deterioration with unwavering patience. With similar care, but with much more tenderness, God is ever watching over us. With eager eyes He marks the slightest sign of deteriorationa hardening conscience; a deadening spirituality; a waning love. Any symptom of this sort fills Him withif I may use the wordskeen anxiety; and His gentle but skilful hand is at once at work to arrest the evil, restore the soul, and force it onward to new accessions of that Divine life which is our only true bliss and rest. Let us not carry the responsibility of our nurture. It is too much for us. Better far is it to devolve the care of our keeping on our faithful Creator. (F. B.Meyer, B. A.)

God the great Preserver

It is not with God as it is with carpenters and shipwrights, who make houses for other men to dwell in, vessels for others to sail in, and therefore after they are made look after them no more; God, who made all things for Himself, looks after the preservation of all. (John Arrowsmith, D. D.)

Gods solicitude for His people

The tear water, constantly flowing over our eyes, removes the grit and dust that alight on them, impairing our power of vision. The eager mother shields her children from any polluting words or influences that might approach them from child companion or school fellow. The physician is eagerly solicitous that no germ of disease should enter an open wound, and lays his instruments in carbolic that they may carry no spore on their keen edge. And may we not count even more certainly on Him who says, I, the Lord, do keep it, etc. (Christian Endeavour.)

I will water it every moment

A refreshing promise

In warm climates irrigation is essential to fertility; hence travellers see on all sides pools and watercourses, wheels and cisterns, and channels for the water to flow in.

I. There is a great NECESSITY for the watering promised in the text.

1. This we might conclude from the promise itself, since there is not one superfluous word of promise in the whole Scriptures, but it becomes more evident when we reflect that all creature life is dependent upon the perpetual outgoing of Divine power.

2. Moreover, the truth is specially certain as touching the believer, for a multitude of agencies are at work to dry up the moisture of his soul.

3. Neither have we any other source of supply but the living God. All my springs are in Thee.

4. Our need of Divine watering is clearly seen when we consider what drought, and barrenness, and death would come upon us if His hand were withdrawn. Without watering every moment the most faithful among us would be cast forth, and be only fit for the fire; every prophet would become a Balaam, every apostle a Judas, every disciple a Demas.

II. THE MANNER in which the Lord promises to water His peopleI will water it every moment.

1. Our first thought is excited by the perpetual actevery moment. Mercy knows no pause. Grace has no canonical hours, or rather all hours are alike canonical: yea, and all moments too.

2. The Lords watering is a renewed act. He does not water us once in great abundance, and then leave us to live upon what He has already poured out.

3. A personal act. I will water it.

III. THE CERTAINTY that the Lord will water every plant that His own right hand hath planted. Here a vast number of arguments suggest themselves, but we wilt content ourselves with the one ground of confidence which is found in the Lord Himself and His previous deeds of love. Our souls need supplies so great as to drain rivers of grace, but the all-sufficient God is able to meet the largest demands of the innumerable company of His people, and He will meet them to His own honour and glory forever. Here, then, we see His truth, His power, and His all-sufficiency pledged to provide for His chosen, and we may be sure that the guarantee will stand. If we needed further confirmation we might well remember that the Lord has already watered His vineyard in a far more costly manner than it win ever need again. The Lord Jesus has watered it with a sweat of blood, and can it be supposed that He will leave it now? Hitherto the sacred promise has been fully kept, for we have been graciously preserved in spiritual life. Droughty times have befallen us, and yet our soul has not been suffered to famish; why, then, should we question the goodness of the Lord as to years to come! One thing is never to be forgottenwe are the Lords. Therefore, if He do not water us, He will Himself be the loser. An owner of vine lands, if he should suffer them to be parched with the drought, would derive nothing from his estate; the vineyard would be dried up, but he himself would receive no clusters. With reverence be it spoken, our Lord Himself will never see of the travail of His soul in untended vines, nor in hearts unsanctified, nor in men whose graces droop and die for want of Divine refreshings. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

8. PULPIT, GOD'S CARE FOR HIS VINEYARD. This piece may be called a companion picture

to Isa_5:1-7, or a joy-song to be set over against that dirge. In both the figure of the vineyard is employed

to express the people of God, and God is "the Lord of the vineyard." But whereas, on the former

occasion, all was wrath and fury, menace and judgment, here all is mercy and loving-kindness, protection

and promise. The difference is, no doubt, not with God, "with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of

turning" (Jas_1:17), but with the vineyard, which is either not the same, or, if the same, then differently

circumstanced. The vineyard of Isa_5:1-30. is beyond all doubt the Jewish Church in the time of Isaiah, or

in the times shortly after. The vineyard of the present place is either the Christian Church, or the Jewish

Church reformed and purified by suffering. It is not the Church triumphant in heaven, since there are still

"briars and thorns" in it, and there are still those belonging to it who have to "make their peace with God."

The prophet has come back from his investigations of the remote future and the supra-mundane sphere

to something which belongs to earth, and perhaps not to a very distant period. His second "song of the

vineyard" may well comfort the Church through all her earthly struggles.

Isa_27:2

Sing ye unto her. Our translators have, strangely enough, inverted the order of the two clauses, which

stand thus in the Hebrew: "A vineyard of red wine; sing ye unto it, "or "sing ye of it." The "vineyard of red

wine" is one that produces abundance of rich fruit.

9. CALVIN, 2.Sing to the vineyard of redness. (191) He now shews that all this will promote the

salvation of the Church; for the Lord attends to the interests of his people, whom he has taken under his

guardianship and protection. In order, therefore, that the Church may be restored, Satan and all his

kingdom shall be utterly destroyed. The object of all the vengeance which God takes on his enemies is to

shew that he takes care of the Church; and although in this passage the Prophet does not name the

Church, he shews plainly enough that he addresses her in this congratulation.

This figure conveys the meaning even more strongly than if he had spoken expressly of the people of

Israel; for since the whole excellence of a vineyard depends partly on the soil in which it is planted, and

partly on diligent cultivation, if the Church of God is a vineyard, we infer that its excellence is owing to

nothing else than the undeserved favor of God and the uninterrupted continuance of his kindness. The

same metaphor expresses also God astonishing love towards the Church, of which we spoke largely

under the fifth chapter. (192)

He calls it a vineyard of redness, that is, very excellent; for in Scripture, if we compare various passages,

wine denotes excellence. He says that this song may at that time be sung in the Church, and foretells

that, though it would in the mean time be reduced to fearful ruin, and would lie desolate and waste, yet

that afterwards it will be restored in such a manner as to yield fruit plentifully, and that this will furnish

abundant materials for singing.

3 I, the LORD, watch over it;

I water it continually.

I guard it day and night

so that no one may harm it.

1.BARNES, I the Lord do keep it - There is understood here or implied an introduction; as Yahweh said (compare Psa_121:3-5).

I will water it every moment - That is, constantly, as a vinedresser does his vineyard.

2. CLARKE, Lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day - I will take care of her

by night; and by day I will keep guard over her - For penyiphkod, lest any visit it,

the Syriac read veephkod, and I will visit it. Twenty MSS. of Kennicotts, fourteen of De

Rossis, and two of my own, and six editions read ephkod, I will visit, in the first person.

3. GILL, I the Lord do keep it,.... The vineyard, the church, not only by his ministers, called the keepers of it, Son_8:12 but by himself, by his own power; for unless he keeps it, who is Israel's keeper, the watchmen wake in vain; he keeps his church and people from sin, that it does not reign over them; and from Satan's temptations, that they are not destroyed by them; and from the malice of the world, and the poison of false teachers, that they are not ruined thereby; and from a final and total falling away; the Lord's preservation of his church and people will be very manifest in the latter day: I will water it every moment; both more immediately with the dews of his grace, and the discoveries of his love; that being like dew, it comes from above, is according to the sovereign will of God, without the desert of man falls in the night, silently, gently, and insensibly, and greatly refreshes and makes fruitful, Hos_14:5 and more immediately by the ministry of the word and ordinances, by his ministers, the preachers of the Gospel, who water as well as plant, 1Co_3:6 these are the clouds he sends about to let down the rain of the Gospel upon his church and people, by which they are revived, refreshed, and made fruitful, Isa_5:6 and this being done "every moment", shows, as the care of God, and his constant regard to his people, so that without the frequent communications of his grace, and the constant ministration of his word

and ordinances, they would wither and become fruitless; but, by means of these, they are as a watered garden, whose springs fail not, Isa_58:11, lest any hurt it; as would Satan, who goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour; and the men of the world, who are the boar out of the wood, and the wild beast out of the field, that would waste and destroy the vineyard; and false teachers, who are the foxes that would spoil the vines, 1Pe_5:8 but, to prevent any such hurt and damage, the Lord undertakes to keep the church, his vineyard, himself, which he repeats with some addition, to declare the certainty of it; or, "lest he visit it" (m); that is, an enemy, as some (n) supply it; lest he should break down the hedge, and push into it, and waste it; or Jehovah himself, that is, as Gussetius (o) interprets it, while Jehovah the Father, Isa_27:1, is striking leviathan, or inflicting his judgments upon his enemies, Jehovah the Son promises to take care of his vineyard, the church, that the visitation does not affect them, and they are not hurt by it, but are safe and secure from it; which is a much better sense than that of Kimchi mentioned by him, I will water it every moment, "that not one leaf of it should fail"; the same is observed by Ben Melech, as the sense given by Donesh Ben Labrat: I will keep it night and day; that is, continually, for he never slumbers nor sleeps; he has kept, and will keep, his church and people, through all the vicissitudes of night and day, of adversity and prosperity, they come into: how great is the condescension of the Lord to take upon him the irrigation and preservation of his people! how dear and precious must they be to him! and what a privilege is it to be in such a plantation as this, watered and defended by the Lord himself!

4. BI, Fury is not in Me.

Of all the senses put upon this difficult verse there are only two which can be looked upon as natural or probable. The first may be paraphrased as follows:It is not because I am cruel or revengeful that I thus afflict My people, but because she is a vineyard overrun with thorns or briars, on account of which I must pass through her and consume her (i.e., burn them out of her) . The other is this: I am no longer angry with My people; oh, that their enemies (as thorns and briars) would array themselves against Me, that I might rush upon them and consume them. (J. A. Alexander.)

Liberty and discipline

I. A BLESSED ABSENCE IN THE NATURE OF GOD. Fury is not in Me. Fury seems to be uncontrolled and uncontrollable anger. A vessel in a storm, with its rudder gone or its screw broken, is passive in the power of winds and waves. A lion, who for hours has been disappointed of his prey, is passive under the dominion of his hunger. In both cases no influence, internal or external, is able to resist the onward course. And when a man is so in the hand of anger that no consideration from within or intercession from without can mollify him, when he is passive in its power, he is in a state of fury. But no such estate is possible to our God. His anger is always under control, and we have plentiful evidence that, in the height of His displeasure, He is accessible to intercession on behalf of His creatures. Nevertheless

II. THIS BLESSED ABSENCE IN THE NATURE OF GOD IS COMPATIBLE WITH CONTENTION WITH THE UNREPENTING. Who would set the briars and thorns against Me

in battle? etc. Imagine a father and son at variance, the father being in the right and the son in the wrong, There are two ways of reconciliation: either the son must comply with the conditions of the father, or the father must lower his standard to the level of the son. But what a wrong would the father do to himself, his family, and society if he were to adopt this course. He ought not, will not. If the son resolves to fight it out, reconciliation is impossible. This is the relative position of God and the ungodly man. God declares His conditions, Let the wicked forsake his way, etc. Consider what is involved in the conditions of the ungodly. Nothing less than the inversion of the whole moral law. God says, I am Jehovah, I change not. It is a blessed impossibility. But the unrepentant man ought, can, must! If not, the fire of goodness must be set against the briars of wickedness, a contest as hopeless, and of which the issue is as certain, as that of the devouring flame with briars and thorns.

III. THE ABSENCE OF FURY IN GOD LEADS HIM TO PREFER PARDON TO PUNISHMENT, AND TO PROVIDE MEANS FOR THE FORMER. Let him take hold of My strength, etc. Men, churches, and nations are lovers of peace in proportion as they are righteous (Psa_72:3). The preference of God for peace depends upon the very attribute of which the ungodly would rob Himnamely, His righteousness. What is Gods strength? How take hold of it? When a man falls overboard at sea, the appointed means of rescue is the life belt which is thrown to him. Seizing that, he takes hold of the strength of the vessel to save him. When the man slayer, fleeing from the avenger of blood, entered the city of refuge, he took hold of Gods appointed means of shelter. Gods strength is His pardoning prerogative, exercised to us through Christ, the arm, or strength, of the Lord. (H. Bushnell, D. D.)

Fury not in God

I. FURY IS NOT IN GOD. But how can this be? Is not fury one manifestation of His essential attributesdo we not repeatedly read of His furyof Jerusalem being full of the fury of the Lordof God casting the fury of His wrath upon the worldof Him rendering His anger upon His enemies with furyof Him accomplishing his fury upon Zionof Him causing His fury to rest on the bloody and devoted city? We are not, therefore, to think that fury is banished altogether from Gods administration. There are times and occasions when this fury is discharged upon the objects of it; and there must be other times and occasions when there is no fury in Him. Now, what is the occasion upon which He disclaims all fury in our text? He is inviting men to reconciliation; and He is assuring them that if they will only take hold of His strength they shall make peace with Him. Fury will be discharged on those who reject the invitation. But we cannot say that there is any exercise of fury in God at the time of giving the invitation. There is the most visible and direct contrary. This very process was all gone through at and before the destruction of Jerusalem. It rejected the warnings and invitations of the Saviour, and at length experienced His fury. But there was no fury at the time of His giving the invitations. The tone of our Saviours voice when He uttered, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, was not the tone of a vindictive and irritated fury. There was compassion in ita warning and pleading earnestness that they would mind the things which belong to their peace. Let us make the application to ourselves.

II. GOD IS NOT WANTING TO GLORIFY HIMSELF BY THE DEATH OF SINNERS. When God says, Who would set the thorns and the briars against Me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together, He speaks of the ease wherewith He could accomplish His wrath upon His enemies. They would perish before Him like the moth. Why set up, then, a contest so unequal as this? God is saying in the text that this is not what He is wanting. In the language of the next verse, He would rather that this enemy of His, not yet at peace with Him, and who may therefore be likened to a briar or a thorn, should take hold of His strength, that He may make

peace with Himand as the fruit of his so doing, He shall make peace with Him. Now tell me if this do not open up a most wonderful and a most inviting view of God? It is the real attitude in which He puts Himself forth to us in the gospel of His Son. What remains for you to do? God is willing to save you: are you willing to be saved?

III. THE INVITATION. Or let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me. Or here is the same with rather. Rather than that what is spoken of in the fourth verse should fall upon you. We have not far to seek for what is meant by this strength, for Isaiah himself speaks (Isa_33:6) of the strength of salvation.

1. We read of a mighty strength that had to be put forth in the work of a sinners justification. Just in proportion to the weight and magnitude of the obstacle was the greatness of that strength which the Saviour put forth in the mighty work of moving it away. A way of redemption has been found out in the unsearchable riches of Divine wisdom, and Christ is called the wisdom of God. But the same Christ is also called the power of God.

2. But there is also a strength put forth in the work of mans regeneration.

3. When you apply to a friend for some service, some relief from distress or difficulty, you may be said to lay hold of him; and when you place firm reliance both on his ability and willingness to do the service, you may well say that your hold is upon your friendan expression which becomes all the more appropriate should he promise to do the needful good office, in which case your hold is not upon his power only, but upon his faithfulness. And it is even so with the promises of God in Christ Jesusyou have both a power and a promise to take hold of. (T. Chalmers, D. D.)

5. JAMISON, lest any hurt it attack it [Maurer]. Lest aught be wanting in her [Horsley].

6. PULPIT, I the Lord do keep it; or, guard it (comp. Isa_26:3; Isa_42:6; Isa_49:8; Psa_121:5).

Vineyards were considered to require special watching, since they were liable to damage both from

thieves and foxes (So Isa_2:15). It was usual to build towers in them, from which a watch could be kept

(Isa_5:2; Mat_21:33). I will water it every moment (compare the threat in Isa_5:6, "I will command my

clouds that they rain no rain upon it"). The Church needs and receives "the continual dew of God's

blessing."

Divine guardianship.

"Lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day." Then there are hurtful powers and hurtful people in the

world. The Word itself lets light in upon the condition of humanity. There are hidden invisible foes; and

there is need for One who can discern and defeat them.

I. THE EYE THAT SEES. This is all-important. For we are blind to our worst enemies. Evil puts on the

garb of good. And evil hides itself. The serpent is coiled up at the bottom of the cup. The adder lurks in

the grass. By the river-side the alligator lurks; his skin the very color of the stones. God's eye can search

all. His vision sweeps all space. His vigilance never sleeps. "He that keepeth thee will not slumber."

II. THE HEART THAT LOVES. This is our truest defense. It is affection that keeps alive this vigilance.

There is no eye like the eye of love. We know this in a measure from our observation of the human

spheres. How quick a mother's eye is to detect first departures from the holy and the truefirst dalliances

with evil! The tutor is not so sure a guardian as the parent. All Divine revelation tells us that God is love.

Why warn, rebuke, exhort? Why send the prophet to the guilty cities, and the only begotten Son, the

Savior, to the lost race? This is the explanation of all: "God so loved the world."

III. THE GUARDIANSHIP THAT IS COMPLETE. Lest "any." That includes all the' forms and forces of

evil. We may be awake to special dangers, just as we pay honor to special virtues. There are dangers

which are so pronounced, where the penalties are so marked, that our consciousness is awake to the

dread results. But when we remember the vast and varied sources of peril, we rejoice to know that there

may be immunity from all disaster. "Deliver us from evil" is the prayer taught us by the Savior; and God

will hear that prayer, for "thine is the power."

IV. THE WATCHFULNESS THAT NEVER SLEEPS. "By night and by day." In the darkness and in the

night. For the darkness is no darkness to God. As Sentinel he never sleeps. Our watch-fires die out, and

the beasts of the forest break into the camp in the silent hours of darkness. We cannot "keep." But the

soul is too precious to be left to finite watchfulness. The Tower of London contains no jeweled crowns so

rich in value as the nature that contains the pearl of great price. The temple of Jerusalem had costly

vessels and sacred altars; but the temple of the soul has in it the true Shechinah. This is God's promise.

This is his own testimony to himself; and it is g promise to wear as an amulet on the heart in such a world

as this.W.M.S.

6B. PULPIT, Vineyard-keeping.

The vine is a familiar Bible figure for the pious individual; and the vineyard, or cluster of vines, an equally

familiar figure of the Church. Several things make the figure specially suitable. The vine is a beautiful

plant; it is dependent, and cannot be its best when standing alone; it brings forth rich and abundant fruit; it

needs constant and careful tending; its wood is useless for any other purpose than carrying the sap that

flows through it; and it is exposed to peril from changing atmospheres and outward foes. To this last point

of comparison these verses direct us. For the others such passages may be consulted as Psa_80:8-

16; Isa_5:1-7. We note that vineyard-keeping includes

I. TENDING. This is called to mind by the very strong assurance, "I will water it every moment," which is

evidently meant to impress on us the constancy, the care, the gracious wisdom, the prompt helpfulness,

of the Divine dealings with the Church. To our minds it has a somewhat exaggerated sound, but that is

only because we have no associations with a parched, hilly, hot, and almost rainless country, such as

Pales-fine or Egypt. Constant and abundant irrigation is the essential condition of vegetable life in such

lands, and to it the science and practical skill of the people are devoted. Channels are made in which the

water may run to the vineyards, and much of the gardener's skill is devoted to this regular and efficient

watering. The Eastern idea of a fruitful tree is one "planted by the rivers of water;" "its leaf shall not

wither." They who are thus careful about the watering of their vines will be sure to do everything else for

them that is necessary for their well-being. They will gather out the stones, enrich the soil, clean the blue,

prune luxurious growths, guide the trailing branches, and thin the crowded bunches. And so does the

Lord of that vineyard, the Church, meet her needs at every point. That he should "water it every moment"

suggests that his supreme care is for the renewal of her vitality, and assures us of his further care of all

the forms and expressions of that vitality. We may be sure, in New Testament language, that with "his

dear Son, God will freely give us all things." He will feed, he will correct, he will encourage, he will check.

Whatsoever is needful for the wise tending of the Church, we may fully trust him that he will do, for he is a

Master-gardener. In following out this thought, precise practical applications may be made to the

conditions and necessities of the particular Church addressed.

II. WATCHING. "Lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day." Van Lennep tells us that "vineyards which

are at a distance from a village require a constant watch and guard during the fruit season, or they are

completely devoured by the jackals." Some of the very earliest Egyptian paintings are vivid-hued

representations of trellised and festooned "vines," while, peering through the bough-twisted fences, is

seen the sharp and mobile nose of the "fox," stealthily stealing towards his favorite repast. It is usual to

dig a ditch all round the vineyard, into which stone posts are driven, branches are twisted in and out of

these posts, and, as wild plants and briars soon grow up among them, a thick and solid fence or hedge is

made. But the bus-bandman is obliged from time to time to examine all parts of the hedge, and close up

any gap or breach made by the foxes, jackals, badgers, hares, hedgehogs, and perhaps even wild bears

which, by trampling, destroy more than they eat. A frail shed raised on poles a good height is prepared for

the defense of the vineyard, in it a watcher remains day and night while the fruit is ripening. From his

elevated position he can see all over the vineyard, and arrangement is sometimes made for his signaling

to the neighbori