Chapter XX. with a Girdle; Decency will not permit us to think that the Prophet ran about ftark-naked, fuch a Sight being apt to make one fufpect the found nefs of a Man's Intellect, rather than give Attention to what he says: Which makes fome think the Prophet only put off his upper Garment, and went about in that unufual Drefs, to fignify to the Jews, that the Ethiopians and Egyptians fhould be ftripped in the fame manner, and be carry'd into. Captivity, and therefore they would do well to think of putting their Confidence on fomething which was more to be depended on than their Affiftance. Thus 1 Kings 19. Saul and David are faid to go naked, tho' they were only ftripped to their inner Garments; but others infift on a A Lapide.total Nudity, whofe Arguments I think. not worth tranfcribing. Ver. 3. And the Lord faid, Like as my fervant Ifaiah bath walked naked and barefoot three years for a fign and wonder upon Egypt, and upon Ethiopia.] Our Tranflation feems to intimate that the Prophet went naked three Years, which is too long a Period for the continuation of a Sign which might as fully reprefent the thing fignified in three Days as three Years. Therefore Grotius thinks this unufual Drefs of the Prophet was to be a Sign of what fhould happen within three Years; and from thence concludes that the War between Tirhaka and Sennacherib lafted fo long; but the Hiftory will not allow fo much time for that Expedition: For Sennacherib came against the Cities of Judah in the Fourteenth of Hezekiah, who reign'd but Twenty nine Years in all, Fifteen of which were afrer the defeat of the Affyrian Army; therefore there remains but a Year or two at moft for the ravaging of Judea, defeating Tirhaka, returning again to Jerufalem, and lofing his Army in fo furprising a manner as no Hiftory can parallel; but there is fo much uncertainty concerning the meaning of Shalosh Shanim Oth, and fo great a deficiency in the History, that it would be very rash to be positive in fettling the exact date of it, fince we neither know the beginning or end of the Computation, when Azotus was befieg'd, or when the Ethiopians and Egyptians were conquer'd. 24. Chapter Ver. 4. So fhall the king of Affyria lead away the Egypti ans prifoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, na ked and bare-foot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the fhame of Egypt.] That is, as the Prophet by exprefs Order from God, walked about the Streets of Jerufalem without fuch Garments as were generally worn by Perfons of his Rank and Profeffion in that Country; fo it fhall happen to the Egyptians and Ethiopians, they fhall be taken Prifoners by the Affyrians, be ftripp'd of their Garments, and be carry'd into Captivity with scarce a Rag about them to hide their Naked nefs. Ver. 5. And they shall be afraid and afhamed of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory.] The Inhabitants of Jerufalem fhall be afham'd of their Confederates, when they hear of their Captivity, and the difgraceful Treatment they meet with, and fhall be afraid of falling into the hands of the fame barbarous Enemies. Ver. 6. And the inhabitant of this ifle fhall fay in that day, Behold, fuch is our expectation whether we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Affyria: and how fhall we efcape?] The Prophet has mention'd no particular place but Afhdod, which being a Maritime Town on the Coaft of the Mediterranean Sea, might be call'd by the Prophet an Ifle, in the Hebrew Idiom: But the defign of the Prophet being to warn his Country-men against relying on human Affiftance, I think it most probable that he fpeaks of Jerufalem, which he calls an Ifle for this reafon perhaps, because God was at this time a place of Chap.33.31. broad Rivers and Streams; that is, incompafs'd it about and defended it as fafely as if it had been furrounded by the Sea, or broad Rivers. Then fhall the Inhabitants of Ferufalem fee their Folly in trufting to the Arm of Flesh; then fhall they fay within themselves, Behold thofe wretched Captives, who have fcarce Cloaths enough left them to hide their Nakedness, were the Perfons we vainly expected fhould deliver us out of the hands of the Affyrians, How fhall we efcape, if the God of our Fathers interpofe not? Forerius thinks, in calling Jerufalem an Ifle, he alludes to the comparifon he frequently makes of the Affyrian Army, to an over-flowing River which furrounded Jerufalem on every fide; and this, I think, better than any of the other Reasons affign'd for the Name. The The ARGUMENT of Chapter XXI. At the beginning of this Chapter the Prophet foretels the defruction of Babylon, fomewhat more covertly than in the 13th and 14th Chapters; but yet so that we may plainly gather that he speaks of that City, which he mentions by Name, ver. 9. This he repeats, Jays Cyril, on purpose to keep his Country-men from relying on the Chaldeans for Help in times of danger and diftrefs; for about this time there was a good Correfpondence between these two Nations, as appears by the Embaffy fent by Merodach King of Babylon, to enquire of King Hezekiah's Health: But I ra- Chap. 39 ther think the Prophet touches again this great Subject, that when the time of their Captivity fhould come, they might comfort themselves and keep up their Spirits with the thoughts that their Slavery could not last for ever, fince God had fo often denounced deftruction against their Oppreffors. To this he annexes two fhort Prophecies against the Idumeans and Arabians. Verse 1. T CHAP. XXI. Chapter HE burthen of the defert of the fea. As whirlwinds in the fouth pass through: fo it Hieronimus.. cometh from the defert, from a terrible land. He calls Babylon the Defert, because tho' at prefent it might be in a flourishing Condition; the time fhould come when it fhould be laid wafte, and become defolate and uninhabited; and the Defart of the Sea, because of its Situation on the great River Euphrates, upon which account it is faid by Jeremiah to fit upon many Waters: Chap.51.13 But Michbar, fays Gataker, fignifies a Plain as well as a Wilderness; and fuch was Chaldea, a Champain Country without any notable Interruptions of high Mountains, very convenient for the Obfervation of the heavenly Mo tions, for which the Inhabitants were famous. The Title then may be render'd, The burthen of Babylon, ficu ated in a Plain on the River Euphrates. As the Whirlwinds in the South pass through a Land, bearing down every thing Chapter in their way, fo methinks I fee the Perfian Army come from the Defart, from a terrible Land. XXI. Vatablus. Ver. 2. A grievous vifion is declared unto me, the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the Spoiler Spoileth: 80 up, O Elam: befiege, O Media: all the fighing thereof have I Bibl. maxima, made to cease.] This Verfe is differently render'd by Interpreters, and there is as great variety in their Expofitions of it; but this to me feems the most natural meaning of the words, At laft there is found out an Oppreffor for the Grand Oppreffor, and a Spoiler for him that Spoil'd all the World befides; that is, the Babylonian is now pay'd in his own Coin, the Oppreffion of his Neighbours fhall be reveng'd on himself. Bogeth fignifies One that injuries Another, either fairly by open Acts of Hoftility, or by dishonest clandeftine Methods: According to the first it may be understood of Cyrus himself; but if we keep to the fenfe our Tranflators have fixt on the Word, it may be referr'd to thofe who came over to Cyrus, fuch as Gadatas and Gobryas, two Babylonian Officers, who entring the City firft, and being skill'd in the Paffages, conducted the Medes to the King's Palace directly, and there furpriz'd and flew him. Afcend ye Perfians, lay Siege to Babylon ye Medes; for I will give her into your Hands, and put an end to the Oppreffions wherewith The has drawn Sighs from her injur'd Neighbours: Or it may be understood of the Medes and Perfians, fays Forerius; and then the meaning will be, I will give yon an eafy Conqueft, the Expedition fhall not make you figh. Xenoph. Ver. 3, 4. Therefore are my loins filled with pain; pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it, I was difmayed at the feeing of it. My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath be turned into fear unto me.] This is understood by (a) fome, as if fpoken by the Prophet of Baltazar, when in the midst of the Banquet perceiving the Hand-writing on the Wall, he fell a trem(b) Forerius. bling, and was in the utmoft Confufion: (b) Others fup"pose Isaiah to speak of himself, and exprefs his compaffionate Concern at the difmal Profpect he had of the great Sufferings of the Babylonians; his Soul, as it were, (a) Cyril, labour'd XXI. Gataker. labour'd with the melancholy Reflection, and he felt as Chapter much Pain as a Woman in the Pangs of a difficult Birth. (a) But others rather fuppofe the words fpoken in the Prefon of a Babylonian. Therefore because of thefe Sufferings (a) Varablus. were my Loins filled with Pain, I was bowed down at the hearing of it; that is, I was afflicted: The Metaphor is taken from thofe who are troubled with the Cholic, who bend and bow their Bodies now this way, now that, feeking Eafe in a change of Pofture. The Night of my Pleasure hath he turned into Fear unto me; that is, the Night in which Men refresh themselves with Sleep, feem'd tedious to me and troublefome, becaufe of the frightful Scene of Mifery which was reprefented to my Imagination. Thus they who understand the words of the Prophet himself. But as nothing is more common in the Style of this Prophet, than an Enallage of the Perfon, and Number, and to fpeak of Things in the Prefent Tenfe, which are ftill Future; fo, I think, these two Verses would be very plain, if we change the Perfon from the firft to the third, and render all the Verbs by Future Tenfes. Therefore her Loins, that is, Babylon's, fhall be fill'd with Pain; Pangs fhall take hold of her, as a Woman in Travail; fhe fhall bow down at the hearing of it, fhe fhall be difmay'd at the feeing of it; her Heart fhal pant, and fearfulness affright her, and the Night which us'd to be the time of refreshing Sleep, be turn'd into Fear unto her; as it was when the Perfians broke into her by Night, and fpread Fear and Confufion in every place. Ver. 5. Prepare the table, watch in the watch-tower, eat, drink: arife, ye Princes, and anoint the fhield.] Some think God fpeaks to the Prophet as injoyning him to do that which he was to foretell fhould be done by others; and then the meaning of the words will be, The Chaldeans fhall prepare the Table, they fhall appoint Watch-men to stand in the Watch-Tower to give Notice of any Enemies approach, and then they fhall fecurely fit down to eat and drink, but fhall be alarm'd on a fudden with fuch a Voice, Árife ye Princes, anoint your Shields, and prepare for Action, for the Perfians are at the Gates. Others divide the Verfe, and refer the first part to Bal X tazar, |