Sandius. Chapter tazar giving Order for a Royal Banquet, and the Security XXI. of Babylon at the fame time; and the latter, to the Prophet calling on the Medes and Perfians, not to let go fo fair an opportunity, but to furprize them buried in Sleep and Wine. The Verbs are in the Infinitive Mood, and may be render'd, In furnishing the Table, in setting the Watch-men in their proper Stations, in eating and drinking; that is, while the Babylonians are thus imploy'd, Arife ye Princes of Perfia, and anoint the Shield, (a) Thomas, fall on them before they take the Alarm. (a) Some Hugo, Haymo. fancy that Cyrus and Darius were invited to a Feaft by Baltazar, whom they kill'd in his Cups: But neither the Scripture nor Xenophon, nor any other Hiftorian makes mention of any fuch thing: The City was not taken while they were at the Feaft, but long after; for feeing the Hand-writing on the Wall as he fat at Table, Baltazar call'd his wife Men together to interpret the meaning of the Writing; which not being able to do, he fent for Daniel, who gave him the fatal Solution of it, and was honour'd for it by the King, and all this before the City was taken. Iyranus. Ver. 6. For thus hath the Lord faid unto me, Go, Set a watchman, let him declare what he feeth. To give greater Affurance of the Fall of Babylon, God orders the Prophet to fet a Watch-man in a high Tower, and enquire of him what he difcover'd; which gives the Prophet occafion to defcribe it by way of Dialogue, wherein, tho'. the part of Ifaiah, or the Queftions propos'd by him are not inferted, they must be fuppos'd. Ver. 7. And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of affes, and a chariot of camels; and he hearked diligently with much beed.] This is the Anfwer of the Watch-man to the first Question of the Prophet, what he beheld at a distance, whether he faw any Thing approaching Babylon or no, for there the Scene of this Vifion is laid; and he anfwer'd, he faw a Chariot with a couple of Horfemen; that is, a Chariot with two Perfons riding in it, Darius and Cyrus, which was drawn by an Afs and a Camel; but thofe two Animals are not well match'd to draw together, nor is it likely that two such great Princes would be crowded up in one Chariot. (a) Others (a) Others therefore think the Singular ftands for the Chapter Plural, and that the Watch-man faw two Chariots at XXI. leaft, one drawn by Affes or Mules, and the other by Camels, which were fo like one another, that at a di- (a) Varablus,! Pagnin, ftance the Watch-man might well think there was but Forerius. one. Grotius gives this Turn to the words, He faw two Chariots, each of which had two Drivers in it, one to govern the Beafts, and one to guide the Chariot; of which two Chariots, one was drawn by Mules, and the other by Camels; the firft in ufe among the Perfians, the other among the Medes; by thofe two Chariots therefore, the Watch-man difcover'd what Nations were to deftroy Babylon. But to pafs by other Interpretations, that of Gataker feems to me the most natural. Rekeb, which we render Chariot (fays he fignifies the fame as Equitatus, the Cavalry. Thefe the Man in the WatchTower difcover'd approaching the City, divided into two diftin&t Bodies, one for fighting and the other for their Baggage. The firft Body of Horfe confifted of two great Divifions, and may reprefent the two Armies of Cyrus and Darius, each marching under its refpective Commander. The fecond alfo was divided into two diftinct Bodies, one confifting of Mules, the other of Camels, both us'd to carry Burdens in thofe Parts; and there muft needs be a multitude of them to carry Provisions for fo great an Army fo many Miles. According to which fenfe of the words, this Verfe may be thus paraphras'd; And he anfwer'd, That he faw the Perfian Cavalry divided into two great Companies, the first confifting of two great Squadrons of Horfe under their refpective Commanders; the other confifting of two great Divifions alfo, one of Camels, and the other of Mules; and he confider'd diligently their Motions which way they went. Ver. 8, 9. And he cried, A lion: my lord, I stand continually upon the watch-tower in the day time, and I am fet in my ward whole nights. And behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen and he answered, and faid, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.] Here Ifaiah may be foppos'd to ask him, whether he could not yet give a X 2 more ་ Chapter more particular account of what he faw; to which he Tirinus, Menochius. Ver. 10. O my threshing and the corn of my floor: that which I have heard of the Lord of hosts the God of Ifrael, have I declared unto you.] The Prophet addreffes himself to his Country-men, as if, by the Spirit of Prophecy, he faw them already in Captivity, whom he calls his Threshing, and the Corn of his Floor, to let them know that their Misfortunes were fent upon them by God, in order to reform, not deftroy them; as Corn is threfh'd, and to outward appearance very roughly handled, which is done with no other defign but to feparate it from the Straw; as if he had faid, O ye Captives, who lye under the correcting Hand of God, raife up your Heads, for what I fay concerning the Fall of Babylon nearly concerns you; and I affure you, for your Comfort, that I declare nothing else but what has been reveal'd to me by the Lord of Hoft's the God of Ifrael, who cannot lie. Ver. 11, 12. The burthen of Dumah: He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? watchman, what of the night? The watchman faid, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come.] This Prophecy confifts but of two Verfes, which however have puzzled Commentators more than all Ifaiah befide: For first they are not agreed what People or Land it concerns; which fome will have to be Rome, others part of Arabia, and others Idumea; and St. Jerom informs us, that not the whole Kingdom of Idumea, but fome Region or part of it which lay to the South, not above. twenty twenty Miles diftant from a City of Palestine call'd in his Chapter Time Eleutheropolis, was call'd by the Name of Dumah; XXI. fo much for the Uncertainty of the Place referr'd to, but the whole Prophecy is fo very fhort and obfcure, that it is very difficult fo much as to guefs at the meaning of the Prophet. He (a) calls to me out of Seir, that is, fome of the (4) Zach. Inhabitants of Seir call upon me, who am fet over the Urfin.. People of God as a Watchman, to warn them of future Dangers. Watchman, What of the Night? As if he had faid, Have you any difmal Calamity to denounce against us? Ironically infulting the Prophet, as if they thought he knew nothing of Futurity; to which the Watchman faid, that is, I Isaiah return'd this Answer to these Idumean Infidels, The Morning is already come, ye have had your Days of Profperity, when ye caft off the Yoke of the Government of the Kings of Judab in the Times of Foram, to which from the Times of David ye had been fubject; but the Night alfo cometh, ye fhall have your Share of Affi&ions alfo; if therefore ye feek to know what is the Will of God concerning you, feek it in earneft and return unto him, for this is the only way to escape Destruction. Varablus gives the Words a different Turn, as if the Prophet fpoke of himself, Methinks I hear the Voice of God faying unto me, From Seir in a fhort Time shall come those who fhall destroy Dumah, and they who live therein shall be in a great Confternation, and often call to the Watchmen in the Night to know whether they perceive any Signs of an approaching Enemy, to which they fhall anfwer, The next Morning ye fhall ask the fame Question, and the fucceeding Night, and yet for all your Carefulness not prevent a Surprize. Forerius makes the Prophet fpeak of himfelf as a Watchman, to whom the Inhabitants of Seir apply'd themselves to know their Fate, how far their Ene-mies should prevail against them. Methinks I hear a Voice from diftant Seir asking me what I discover'd in the Night, whether their Enemies advanc'd against them? To which he returns this Anfwer, Venit mane & nox, the Day fucceeds the Night, and the Night the Day, if ye would know the Truth ye muft not ask at a distance, but come to me. We may alfo, fays he, by Night and Day underftand Profperity and Adversity, and then the Senfe will be, XXI. Chapter be, Video profpera & adverfa, fi quis autem quibus aut quando profpera, rurfus quando & quibus adverfa ventura fint`edifcere vult non ex Seir interroget fed ferio accedat, roger redeatq; iterum. That which is fpoken here is fpoken in the Perfon of a Son of Dumah, an Ishmaelite, (fays Day after Grotius) who being in Babylon as a Soldier when it was taken by the Medes, and having made his Efcape hafted as for Life homeward, travelling Night and Day; he took his Way from Babylon to his own Country by Mount Seir, where a certain Edomite of Mount Seir feeing him travelling thus in the Night, and guefling him to be a Soldier by his Habit, asks him the Caufe of his fo late travelling in the Night? To which he answers, The Morning comes to fome, and the Night to others, fome rife and fome fall, the Medes have taken Babylon, and the Chaldeans are conquer'd, if ye will enquire ye may enquire, but ye had better return with me, and get out of the way of Danger; in fuch variety of Expofitions I dare not pretend to give this or that the Preference, because I am not altogether fatisfy'd whether any of them reach the Prophet's Mind; and to determine in fuch a Cafe would be as rafh as to give ones Judgment which Picture beft agreed with the Original, in a room where no more Light is to be had, than juft enough to discover the Frames of the Picture,or the Cloths of the Perfon they were drawn for. Ver. 13. The burthen upon Arabia. In the foreft in Arabia fhall ye lodge, Oye travelling companies of Dedanim.] De danim, or the Dedanites, are the Children of Dedan. Gen. 25. 3. Grandfon of Abraham, who inhabited part of Arabia Petraa, and ftand here put for Arabians in general, of whom the Prophet here foretels, that they fhall be forc'd to leave their Cities, and hide themselves in the Forests of Arabia deferta, from the Fury of the Affyrians under Sennacherib, who might probably take Arabia Petraa in his way when he first fet out on his Expedition against the Jews. Ver. 14. The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled.] Thefe Words may be render'd more agreeably. with the Original, Come with Water to refresh thofe that are thirsty, ye inhabitants of the Land of Tema, with your Bread prevent |