Isaiah 36

Ver. 29. — therefore will I put my hook in thy nose.] Just as at this day they put a ring into the nose of the bear, the buffalo, and other wild beasts, to lead them, and to govern them when they are unruly. Bp. Lowth. Chap. XXXVIII. See the notes on 2 Kings xx. 1—11. Ver. 3. And said, Remember now, O Lord, &c.] See on ver. 17, the note from Abp. Secker; and on 1 Kings xv. 14, the note from Jos. Mede.

— thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.] Hezekiah’s prayer hath no confession of sin, but his thanksgiving afterwards hath a very strong one: “Thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.” And therefore, when he pleaded at first, “Remember, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee with a perfect heart, and done that which is good in thy sight,” ver. 3, we should understand him to mean, that as a king he had been zealous for God’s true religion, to which consequently his life was of importance; not that as a man he had not deserved death, which all men have. Abp. Secker.

Ver. 1. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.] The Prophet declares at once God’s command to his messengers, (his Prophets, as the Chaldee rightly explains it,) to comfort his people in captivity, to impart to them the joyful tidings, that their punishment has satisfied the Divine justice, and the time of reconciliation and favour is at hand. Bp. Lowth.

Isaiah 36:5

5. — I have heard thy prayer.] From these words, compared with the first verse, it appears, that this sickness would have put an end to Hezekiah’s life, if he had not earnestly prayed to God to spare him; and that God was moved by his prayers to reverse the sentence of land of † Armenia: and Esar-haddon his son reigned in his stead. # CHAP. XXXVIII.

Isaiah 36:9

9. The writing of Hezekiah] Here the book of Kings deserts us, the song of Hezekiah not being inserted in it. Bp. Lowth. Before CHRIST 710. Jewell. a 2 Kings 20. 1.

Isaiah 36:11

11. I said, I shall not see the Lord, &c.] That is, I shall no more have the comfortable fruition of God’s presence in his house amongst the men that live here on earth. Bp. Hall.

12. — as a shepherd’s tent: Shepherds do not pitch their tents long in one place, but remove for the convenience of pasture. W. Lowth.

— I have cut off like a weaver my life.] My sins are the cause that the thread of my life is cut off, like the thread of a weaver. W. Lowth.

— from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.] I concluded I should die before night. Compare Job iv. 20. W. Lowth. “In the course of the day thou wilt finish my web.” Bp. Lowth.

Isaiah 36:13

13. I reckoned till morning, &c.] When night came, I reckoned I should die before the next morning, my pains were so great, as if the whole frame of my body were ready to be dissolved. W. Lowth.

14. — did I chatter: The Hebrew word means to chirp or peep in a plaintive tone, like some birds. Parkhurst.

Isaiah 36:15

15. What shall I say? &c.] The suddenness of my deliverance surprises me, so that I want words to express my thankfulness: all I can say is, that no sooner did God promise to restore my health, but I immediately found the effects of his goodness. The sense of the latter part of the verse, “I shall go softly” &c. is more intelligible in our old translation, which renders the words thus, “I will, so long as I live, remember this bitterness of my life;” that is, The remembrance of the misery I endured shall continually excite me to renew my thankfulness for this thy mercy. W. Lowth.

Isaiah 36:16

16. O Lord, by these things men live, &c.] O Lord, by those words and powerful acts, that proceed from Thee, is the life of man both had and maintained: and

Isaiah 36:20

20. The Lord was ready to save me: &c.] The case of Hezekiah, a person of the highest rank, in the prime of life, and the full tide of prosperity, seized with a mortal disease, ought strongly to remind the sequest of us all, how uncertain our condition is here on earth. By the goodness of God, a Prophet was sent to him, to admonish him of the preparation that his state required; and the same goodness hath provided, that we shall all be frequently admonished of the same thing by the ministers of his word. The admonition given him was the means of prolonging his days in peace and comfort; and those given us, if received in a right manner, may, both naturally and providentially, contribute to procure us longer and happier lives in this world; and will certainly lead us to a life of eternal happiness in the next. Abp. Secker.

Chap. XXXIX. See the notes on 2 Kings xx. 12— Or, on my peace came great bitterness.

The Babylonian captivity foretold. CHAP. XXXIX, XL. The promulgation of the Gospel.

Before CHRIST about 712. a 2 Kings 20. 12, &c. thereof, foretelleth the Babylonian captivity.

AT that time Merodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered.