Isaiah 31
PAThighest expressions in Scripture concerning this matter can be supposed to import. His lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fireJ. So Christ is described as consuming sinners with the breath of his lips, (xi. 4.) because, whenever he pronounces sentence upon them, it is immediately put in execution: all things obeying his word and decree. (See the note there.) Vcr. 28. And his breath as an overflowing stream.) God’s anger is often called the breath of his nostrils. (See Job iv. 19. Psal. xviii. 15.) The expression is taken from one of i the symptoms of anger, which is breathing quick and short.! Shall reach to the midst of theneck.~] See the note on viii. 8. To sift the nations with a sieve of vanity J] Vanity some-’ times signifies destruction: so, lvii. 13. vanity shall take \ tliem, i. e. they shall be destroyed. And here the sieve of I, vanity is such a one as doth not separate the chaff in order to save the corn, but makes an entire riddance, as when! chaff is scattered before the wind. (Compare xxix. 4. Hos. | xiii. 3. Psal. i. 4.) By the nations are chiefly meant tho - Assyrians and their confederates. And there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.’] See the same phrase xxx vii. 29. In both •places the expression imports, that God would stop these people in the midst of their career, and make all their designs prove abortive, like those that miss their aim, or lose their way. A continuation of the same subject treated of in the former chapter: the prophet again reproves the Jews for seeking to Egypt for succour; and assures them of God’s assistance, if they will tarry a little, and wait for ■ his salvation. Ver.l. rrOE unto them that go down to Egypt for help, &c] See xxx. 1.16. Vcr. 2. Yet ye also is tvise and will bring evil, arid will not call back his words, &c] God is as wise as the ablest politician, and knows how to bring to pass his purposes as effectually; and will certainly make good his threatening^ against the despisers of his commands. (Sec xxx. 13, 14.) But will arise against the house of the evil-doers, aM against the help of them that work iniquity.] He will bring his judgments as well upon those who have had the chief hand in forming this confederacy, as upon the Egyptians themselves, in whom they place their confidence. (See the following verse.)
Isaiah 31:1
JlSeHOLD, a king shall reign in righteousness,. and princes shall rule in judgment,. Under the government and example of so good a king as Hezekiah, inferior princes and magistrates shall execute their office with integrity and faithfulness. (Compare Psal. Ixxii. 2,3.) 3 Y
Isaiah 31:3
Now the Egyptians are men, and not God. In whom alone we ought to put our trust. And their horses flesh, and not spirit.] Spirit sometimes is equivalent with angel, and the angelical powers are described as excelling in strength far beyond any corporeal being. (See Psal. ciii.20.) In other places, spirit signifies the saiae as the soul, and is opposed to flesh, as the more noble part of human nature. Taking the word in either sense, the meaning of the text is, that nothing extraordinary is to be expected from the Egyptian auxiliaries. Both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall doivn.] Both the Egyptians and they that rely upon their aid. (Compare xx. 4 — 6. 2 Kings xviii. 13.)
Isaiah 31:4
Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, tuhen a mnltititde of shepherds iscalled forth agahtst him, he will not be of raid of their voice, Sac. An.elegant similitude; representing Gods almighty power, which no human strength is able to withstand; and exactly parallel to those verses in Homer, where Sarpedon is described as going against the Greeks, (Iliad p.. ver. 299, &c.) Brj p tfitv, ware (<>v bptairpofyoQ, oar tTrtdtvrJG Aij/aov ey KpetHjv, KiXtrai SI k Svpbg ayfowp, M/jXwv 7r«o//(TOvra, ku\ Ig ttvklvov So/uov IXOiiv Et7T£p yap % tvpijai Trap 9 avrofyi j3wropac avSpag 2uv kvo\ Ka\ Sovpioot, <pv\a<T<TOvrag Trent prjXa, Ov pa r airtipT\TQQ ntuove oraOpoto S’uaOat. Which verses are thus rendered in the late English translation copied from the French: As some fierce lion on the mountains bred, Stnng with keen hunger, searches for his prey, Springs o’er the fences, and o*erleaps the fold: For though the shepherds and the watchful dogs On every side defend the woolly flock; Yet his undaunted soul disdains to fly, Till he hath seized his prey.
Isaiah 31:5
As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem. God s protection of his servants is commonly expressed by covering them under his icings, in allusion to the wings of the cherubims which covered the mercy-seat. (Compare Deut. xxxii. 11.) Passing over it, he will preserve it.] As he did when he passed over the Israelites’ houses in Egypt, (Exod. xii. 23.)
Isaiah 31:7
For in that day shall every man cast away his idols of silver, &c. See the note on xxx.22.
Isaiah 31:8
Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword not of a mean man shall devour him, &c. He shall not fall hy any mortal power, but by the hand of an angel. (See xxxvii.3G.) If we follow the common opinion, that the Assyrian army was destroyed by a pestilential disease, which was the immediate stroke of heaven; the expressions here exactly agree with the description of the angel, who smote the Jews with a pestilence, 1 Chron. xxi. who is there revol. in. presented as standing with a sword drawn in his hand y (ver. 16.) And his young men shall be discomfited.] Or, his choice men, as the word likewise signifies, the very flower of his army.'
Isaiah 31:9
And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear. He shall betake himself to the fortified places within his own dominions, as those do who are afraid that an enemy is pursuing them. (See xxxvii. 37.) And his princes shall be afraid of the ensign.] His chief commanders shall be afraid of those visible tokens of God’s presence in, and protection over, Jerusalem, which were like so many, standards lifted up in defence of his people. (Compare lix. 19.) Saith the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.] Who hath placed his altar and his sanctuary there: and from thence will issue forth like fire, and corir sume all those who. shall presume to violate that place of his especial presence. (Compare Obad. ver. 18. Zech.ii.5,. xii. 6.). CHAP. XXXII.. ARGUMENT.’ Whosoever carefully considers the ninth, tenth, and following verses of this chapter, will find that they relate to the calamities which the Assyrian invasion brought upon Judea; under those afflictions the wisdom and piety of king Hezekiah was one of the chief supports and comforts to his subjects, and consequently we may suppose that the beginning of the chapter doth contain a character of that excellent prince. But yet there are several expressions, particularly those in the third and fourth verses, that relate to happier times than Hezekiah ever lived to enjoy: and therefore upon the whole matter we may justly say, that the reformation which Hezekiah made was but a shadow or image -of those greater improvements in grace and holiness which properly helong to the gospel-times, under the government of Christ, and the assistance of his Spirit. Mr. White objects against this interpretation, that none of the writers of the New Testament have applied any part of this chapter to our Sa-. viour; but we are not to expect a particular application of all the prophecies of the Old Testament in the writings of the New. And we may observe, that many important prophecies, such as are particularly Daniel’s weeks, are never distinctly mentioned there. Jacob’s • prophecy concerning Shiloh, (Gen." xlix. 10.) may be added as another remarkable instance of a prophecy concerning Christ, not mentioned in the New Testament. It is sufficient to justify such’an interpretation, if the full import of the words look that way, and such an application be agreeable to those methods of interpreting prophecies which are observed in the New Testament; for those are to be looked upon as a public rule or standard for interpreting the Scripture prophecies.
Ye shall have a song, as in the night, xvhen a holy solemnity is kept. The Jewish festivals were always kept from even to even; so the sabbath began on the Friday evening; (see Lev. xxiii. 32.)* and the eve before any festival was part of-the festival: (see Judith viii. 6.)- from whence the same observation was derived into theChristian church. But the feast of the Passover is chiefly alluded to here, which was always kept in the evening, and the supper concluded with hymns. (See Mattxxvi. 30.) As when one goeth with a pipe to come unto the mountain of the Lord.] The solemn festivals, when the people came from all parts of Judea to w r orship at the temple, were observed with the greatest expressions of joy. (SceDcut.xvi. 11. 14: Psal. xlii.4.) Such joy will there be, saith the text, at Jerusalem, for their deliverance from Sennacherib’s army.
And the Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, &c. This destruction shall be from the immediate hand of God, in which he shall as visibly appear as if he had discomfited the army by a tempest of thunder, and lightning, and hailstones, as he formerly destroyed the Ca-’ naanites and Philistines.* (Sec Josh. x. 10. 1 Sam. vii. 10.’ •" compare likewise Psal. xviii. 14. xxix. 6. of this prophecy, 1 and see the note on that place.)
Shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote f * with a rod. Compare x. 5. 24.
And in every placexvhere the grounded staff shall pass,which the Lord shall lay upon him, it shall be with tabrets and harps. This is a very obscure translation of the words; the old translation published under king Henry VIII. renders them much plainer, thus, JWithersoever he goes, the rod shall cleave unto him, which the Lord shall lay upon him. Or the place may be thus translated more exactly to the Hebrew, And every place where the terrible stroke shall pass which the Lord shall lay upon him, shall be [filled] (or shall sound) with tabrets and harps: the words in the original, which our English-renders the grounded staff, signify such a rod or stroke as sinks deep, and makes lasting prints or marks in the flesh: and the expression alludes to the rod with which the Assyrian smote or corrected God’s people;, (vcr. 31.) as if the prophet had said, God hath prepared a rod to chastise him, that was before a scourge to all his neighbours. The import of the whole sentence is this, that every place where God shall inflict this heavy judgment upon the Assyrian, shall be full of joy and gladness. The Hebrew’ tuppim, tabrets, alludes to Tophet, a word of the same signification, by which name the prophet calls the Assyrian camp, ver. 33. (See the note there.) It was usual, likewise, to celebrate victories %vith tabrets and other instruments of music. (See Exod. xv. 20. 1 Sam. xviii. 6.) And in battles of shaking shall ye fight vnth it.] God’s severe judgments are expressed by his shaking his hand over a people or a place. (See xi. 15. xix.lG.)
For Tophet is ordained of old, yea, for the king it is prepared, &c. Tophet, otherwise called the Valley of Hinnom, was the place where the children were sacrificed to Moloch. (See Jcr. vii. 31.) It had its name from the tabrets which sounded there to drown the cries of the children thus inhumanly murdered. Being a place set apart for that terrible execution, it was looked upon as the picture of hell itself,, the word Gehenna being from thence derived. The prophet here applies the name to the camp where all the Assyrian army was to be destroyed. And as in Tophet great heaps of wood were piled together to burn the human sacrifices there offered, so God, saith the text, will find sufficient materials prepared like fuel for the fire, which his anger, like a train of brimstone, will kindle. The only difficulty is, how Tophet can be said to be prepared for the king of Assyria, since Sennacherib himself did not die in the common destruction. To which it may be answered, that all his strength and glory perished there. But withal I conceive that this expression points at a* more hidden sense couched under this description, which is the final destruction of sinners in that Tophet or Gehenna, of -which the valley of Hinnom was only a faint resemblance, together w’ith Satan their prince at the head of them.