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ISAIAH. A NEW TRANSLATION; ¦WITH
A PRELIMINARY DISSERTATION,
AND
NOTES
CRITICAL, PHILOLOGICAL, AND EXPLANATORY.
BY ROBERT LOWTH, D. D.
F. R. SS. LoND. AND GoETTING.
Lord Bishop of London.

THE THIRD EDITION.

VOLUME THE SECOND.

LONDON;
PRINTED BY J. NICHOLS, FOR T. CADELL;
AND SOLD BY T. CADELL, JUN. AND W. DAVIES,
(SUCCESSORS T.O MR. CADELL,) IN THB STRAND.
MDCCXCV.

YAIIE

^sssi

NOTES

O N

ISAIAH.

L

- SAIAH fe^ercifed the Prophetical OiEce during
^ long period of time, if he lived to the reign of
Manafleh ; , for the io-wefc computation, beginning.
from the yeaf in which Uzziah died, when fome
fuppofe him to have received his firft appointment
to that office, brings it to 6i years. But the Tra
dition of the Jews, that he was put to death by Ma-
jriaffeh, is very uncertain ; and one of their principal
Rabbilis (Aben Ezra, Com. in tf. i. i.) feems ra
ther to think, that 'he died before Hezekiah ; \vhich
is indeed ihore probable. It is however certain, that
iie lived ai leaft to the 15th or i6th year of Heze
kiah: this makes the leaft poffible term ofthe dura
tion of his prophetical office about 48 years. The
time of the delivery of fome of his Prophecies is either
expreffly marked, or fufficiently clear froin the hif-.
tbry, to which they relate : that of a,few others may
with fonie probabihty be deduced from internal
marks ; from expreffions, defcriptions, and circum
ftances interv^oven. It may therefore be of fome ufe
in this refpe<ft, and for the better underftanding of
his Prop^^ecies in general, to give here a fummary ,
view of the hiftory of his time,
VOL. II. B The

e NOTESON CffAP. t,
 The Kingdoai- of Judah feems^to have ,been...ia,.-3
more flourifhing- condition during the reigns of Uz
ziah and 'Jotharxi, than at any other time, after the
revolt, of the Ten Tribes, The former recovered the
port of Elath on the Red Sea, which the Edomites-
had taken in the reign of Joram:- he was fuccefsful
in, his wars with the Philiftines, and took frpm them
fereral cities, Gath, Jabneh, Afhdod ; as likewife
againft fome people of Arabia Deferta ; and againft
the Ammonites, whom he compelled to pay him tri
bute. He repaired and im^prGf\red the fortifications ¦
of Jerufalem; aiid had a greaf army .well appointed
and difciplinfed. He was no lefs attentive to the arts'
.of p'eace; and very much encouraged agriculture,
and the breeding of cattle, Jotha.m maintained the-
eftabli-fhrnents and improvements made by his Fa
ther ; added to what Uzziah had done in ftrengthen
ing the, frontier places ; conquered the Ammonites,
who had revolted,, and ex'a6ted from them a more
ftated and probably a larger tribute,- ,, However, at
the latter end of "his time, the league between P^kafj
king oflfraei and Retfin king of Syria was formed
againft Judah ; and they began to Carry their defigns
into execution, ' . ^ - ,
But in the reign of Ahz^z his fon, not only' alL
thefe ad'.^antages were loft, but the kingdom of Ju
dah was brought to the brink of deftrudtion, Pekah
king of Ifrael overthrew the army of Ahaz, who loflr'
in battle 120,000 men; and the Ifraefites carried
a-way capdves 200,000 vromen and children ; which,
however were releafed, and fent home. again, -uport'
tlie remonftrance of the Prophet Oded. After -fhis-^'
as it fhould feem, (fee Vitringa on ch, vn.'2.) the
two kings of Ifrael and Syria, joining their forces,
laid, fiege to Jerufalem; but in this attempt they
failed of fuccefs. . In this diftrefs Ahaz called' in- the-
affiftance of Tigl-ath-Eilefer king df Affyfia ; who iri-
 - , . . yadecf

CHAP. I. ISAIAH. '3
vaded the kingdoms of Ifrael and Syria, and Retfi|i :'
but he was more in danger than ever from his toa
powerful ally ; to purchafe whofe forbearance, as he
had before bought his affiftance,. he was. forced to
ftrip himfelf and his people of all the v/ealth he could
poffibly raife, from his own treafury, from the Tem
ple, and from the country. ' Abo:at the time ofthe
fiege of JerufalemJ the Syrians took Elath, which
was never after recovered. The Edomites likewife,
taking advantage of the diftrefs ¦ of Ahaz, ravaged
Judea, and carried avva}^ many captives. The Phi
liftines recovered what they had before loft; and-
took many places in Judea, and maintained them.-
felves there. Idolatry was eftablifhed 'by the com
mand ofthe king in Jerufalem, an<i throughout Ju
dea ; and the fervice of the Temple was either inter
mitted, or converted into an idolatrous worffiip.
Hezekiah, his fon, at his acceffion to the throncj^
immediately fet about the reftoration of the legal
v/orffiip of God, both in Jerufalem aud through Ju
dea. , He cleanfed and repaired the Temple, and
held a folemn PafTover. He improved the city, re
paired the fortification, eredled magazines of all
forts, and built a new aqueduft. In the 4th year
of his reign Shalmanefer king of Affyria invaded the
kingdom of Ifrael, took Samaria, and carried, away
the Ifraelites into captivity ; and replaced them by
different people fent from his' own country : and
this was the final deftruftion iof that Kingdom, in
the 6th year of the reign of Plezekiah.
¦ Hezekiah v/as not deterred by this alarming exam
ple from refufing to pay the tribtite to the king of
Aflyria, which had been . impofed on Ahaz : thi.s
brought on the invafion of Senacherib in -the 14th
year of his reign ; an account of which is inferted
among the Prophecies of Ifaiah. After a great and
miraculous deliverance from fo' powerful an enemy,
L ; E 3 Hezekiah

4, NOTESOir CHAP. 1-
^ezfekiah continired his reign in peace ; he profper-
.' ed in all his works, and left his kingdoni in a flou
rifhing ftate to his fon Manaffeh ; a fon in every re
fpedl unworthy of fuch -a father.

CHAP. L
I. The "Vifiori of Ifaiah — ] It feems 'doubtful,
whether this Title belong to the whole Book, or only
to the Prophecy contained in this Chapter. The
former part of the Title feems properly to belong to
this particular' Prophecy: the latter part, which
enumerates the kings of Judah, under -whom Ifaiah
exercifed his Prophetical office, feems to extend it
to the whole coUedlion of Prophecies delivered in
the courfe of his miniftry. Vitringa (to whom the
wprld is greatly indebted for his learned labours on^
this Prophet ; and to whom we ffiould have owed
much more, if he had not fo totally devoted himfelf
to Maforetic authority,) has, I think, very judioi-
oufly refolved this doubt. He fuppofes, that the-
former part of the Title was origindly prefixed to-
this fingie Prophecy ; and that, when the coUedlion
of all Ifaiah's Prophecies was made, the enumeration:
of the kings of Judah was added, to. make it at the
fame time a proper Title to the whole Book. As-
fuch it is plainly taken in 2 Chron. xxxn. 32, where,
the Book of Ifaiah is cited by this Tide ; " The Vi-
*' fion of Ifaiah the Prophet, the "fon of Amots."
The Prophecy contained in this, firft chapter ftands-
fingle and unconnedled, making an intire piece of
itfelf. It contains a fevere remonftrance againft the
corruptions prevailing among the Jews of that time ;
powerful exhortations to repentance ; grievous
threatenings to the impenitent; and gracious" pro
mifes

eHAP. I. ISAIAH. 5
mifes of better times, when the *natIon fhall have
been reformed by the juft judgements of God. The
expreffion upon the whole is clear ; the connedlion
of the feveral parts eafy ; and in regard to the images,
fentiments, and ftyle, it gives a beautiful example
of the Prophet's elegant manner of writing ; though
perhaps it may not be equal in thefe refpefts to many
of the following Prophecies. /
2. Hear, O ye hea,vens — '] God is introduced
as entering upon a folemn and ptiblic Adlion, or
Pleading, before the whole world, againft his difo
bedient people. The Prophet, as Herald, or officer
to proclaim the fummons to the court, calls upon all
created beings, celeftial and terreftrial, to attend,
and bear witnefs to the truth of his plea, and the
juftice of his caufe. The fame fcene is more fully
difplayed in the noble Exordium of Pfalm l.- where
God fummons all mankind, from Eaft to Weft, to
be prefent to hear his appeal; and the folemnity is
held on Sion, where he is attended with the fame
terrible pomp that accompanied him on Mount
Sinai : .
" A confuming fire goes before him,
*' And round him rages a violent tempeft :
•' He calleth'the heavens from above,
" And the earth, that he may contend in judgement with
"his people." Pfalm l. 3, 4.
By the fame bold figure, Micah calls upon the
mountains, that is, the whole country of Judea, to
attend to him: ch. vi. i, a.
" Arife, plead thou before the mountains,
*' And let the hills -hear thy voice.
" Hear, O ye mountains, the controverfy of jehovah;
' " And ye, O ye flrong foundations of the eaith :
" For JEHOVAH hath a controverfy with his people,
•' And he -will plead Iiis caufe againfl Ifrael."
B 3 With

i| N,0TE5 ON. C,HAP. I.
With the like. imtication Mofes introduces his fub^
lim,e fong; 'tfie defign of Vv^hich wa&the fame as that:,
of this Prophecy, " to teflify, as a- witnefs,, againffc
'^the Ifraelites," for- their difobedience: Deut. xxx:,i.
ai. . ¦ ' i ' ¦ ' ' ¦'"''
• ." Give ear, O .ye heavens,' an-d I will fpeak;
¦ " And let t-lie' earth hear the words of my mouth.'.'
Deut. xxxii. r»
This in the fimple yet ftrong oratorical, ftyle of Mofes •
is, " I call.heayen and earth to witnefs againft thee this
''day: "lifer and !death have, I fet' before thee;, the
'",' bleffing and the curfe :^ choofe 'nefvrh-fe,.' that thou
^''ftiayeft.live, thou and thyifeed,"., Deut, xxx, 19.
Tlie poetical ftyle,' by an apoftrophe,' fets the Per-
fonificatibn in §. much ftronger light.
,, Ibid, — that fpeaketh] Urender it.in .the prefe|it
t^e,, pointing it "l^'^ • - There feerns to be an' im
propriety in demanding attention, to a fpeech already
deliverer!. - ^ ' ' -,
^ ibid. I,.have nourifhed- — J The lxx have sfsav/i-
c-ex, I hive be fot ten. Inftead ^ of ''il^iJ, they read,
*rn^''; a word little differing from the- other, and
perhaps m.ore, proper :' whicfi the Chaldee likewife
feems to favour ;" vpcavi eos filios." See Exod.
IV. 22. Jer, xxxi. 9.
3. The ox knoweth — 1 An amplification of the
grofs infenfibility. of the difobedient Jews,- by .com
paring them with the moft heavy and' ftupid ' of ali
animals, -yet not fo infenfible as they. Bocha,rt has
well illuftrated the comparifon, and'Aiewn the pecu
liar .force of- St. "He fets them lower than the
" beafts, and even than'the ftu|*ideft of all' beafts ,
; ' ' for there is fcarce any more fo tlian the ox a'nd
" the ''afs. ^ Yet thefe acknowlege' their mafter;'
" they knaw the manger of their lord; by whom,'
'¦'¦ they are' fed, not 'for their own, but for his good; '
,*;, neither are they looked. ur;on as children, but as.'
'¦.,-.,., '' ' ' '' . ii Up, /.I,.

•Chap. i. i s ai ah. 7
"beafts bf burthen; neither are they advanced to.
" honours, but oppreffed with great and daily la-
" hours. While the Ifraelites, chofen by the mere
' ' favour of God, adopted as fons, promoted to the
*' higheft dignity, yet acknowleged not their Lord
" and their God; but defpifed his cornxmandments,
*' though in the higheft degree equitable and juft.''
Plieroz. i. col. 409.
Jeremiah's Comparifon to the fame purpofe is
equally elegant ; but has not fo much fpirit and fe
verity as this of Ifaiah :
" Even the ftork in the heavens knoweth her fcafpn ;
*' And the turtle, and the fwallow, and the crane, ob-
" ferve the time of their coming :
*• But my people doth not knovv the judgement of jE-
" HOVAH.'' Jer. VIII. 7,
Hofea has given a very elegant turn to the fame
image, in the way of metaphor or allegory :
" I drew them with human cords, with the bands of
" love :
"And I was to them, as he thst lifteth up the yoke up-
" on their chcclc ; ;,
" And I laid down their fodder before them." Hof xr, 4.
Salomo ben Melech thus explains the middle part of
the verfe, v/hich is fomewhat obfcure: " I was to
" them at their defire, as they that have compaflion
" on a heifer i, left ffie be over-worked in ploughing;
" and that lift up the yoke from off her neck, and
^' reft it upon her cheek, that ffie may not ftill
*' draw, but reft from her labour an hour or two in
" the day,"
Ibid, But Ifrael — ^] The lxx. Syriac, Aquila,
Theodotion, and Vulgate, read "jHltyMj adding the
Conjundlion; which, being rendered as an adverfa
tive, fets the oppofition in a ftronger light.
Ibid. Me.] The fame Antient Verfi'ons agree in
z^dding this word ; which very properly anfwers, and
^ 4 indeed^

8 NOTESON- CHAP. I,
indeed is almoft neceffarily required to anfwer, the
words p'ffeffor and lord preceding. Irp^i^A Is me ax.
syvoo. LXX. " Ifrael autem me non' cognovit.'*
Vulg. . Io-p«jjA S; Mo-T UK syvM. Aq. Theod. The
teftjmony of fo fcrupulous an Interpreter as Aquila
is of great weight in this cafe. And both his and
Theodotion's rendering is fuch, as ffiews plainly,
that they did not add the word mot to help out the
fenfe ; for it only embarraffes it. It alfo clearly de
termines, what was the original Reading in the old
Cpp'c-, from which they tranflated. It could not
be ^jyT', which moft obvioufly anfwers to. the ver
fion of LXX. and Vulg. for it does not accord with
that of Aquila and Theodotion. The verfion of thefe
latter Interpreters, . however injudicious, clearly af
certains both the phrafe, and the order of the words,
of the original Hebrew : it was jn^ hV ""iTli* ^i«"l©%
The word *niNt has been loft out of the Text. The
very fame phrafe is ufed by Jeremiah, Chap. iv. aa.
tin" H"? ''ma '•DJ?. ; and the ordei^. of the words muft
have been as above reprefented ; for they have joined
^}*"ny' with '/ilit, as in regimine: they cpuld iiot have
taken it in this fenfe, Ifrael meus non cognovit, had
either this phrafe, or the order of the words, been
different. I have endeavoured to fet this matter in
a clear light, as it is the firft exarhple of a whole
word loft out of the Text ; of which the reader will
find many other plain examples- in the courfe of
thefe Notes.
The LXX. Syr. Vulg, read 'IDJ?\, " and my peo- '
*' pie.:" and fo fikewife fixteen mss.
4. degenerate] Five mss (one of them Antient)
read D^Jinti^D without the firft \-, in Hophal, cor
rupted, not corruptors: fee the fame word, in the.
-fame form, and in the fame fenfe, Prov. xxv. 26.
_ Ibid. — are eftranged] Thirty-two mss (five An
tient) and two Editions, read iiip : which reading deter-

JCHAP. I JSAIAH. 9
jdetermines the word to be from the root "yn io alie-;
note, not from nt3 to feparate ; fo Kimchi underftands
it. See alfo Annotat. in Noldium, 68,
Ibid'. tJiey have turned their backs upon him] So
Kimchi explains it: " they have turned unto him
*' the back, and not the face :" fee Jer. ii. 27. vii.
24. I have been forced to render this line para
phraftically; as the verbal tranflation "they are
* ' eftranged bacTcward*^" would h^ve been viniptelligible.
5. Oh what part—] The Vulgate renders na^fsy.
fuperquo; (fee Job xxxviii. 6. a Chron. xxxn.
10.) upon what part: and fo Abendana, on Sal. hi
Melech: "There are, fome who explain it thus:
•' upon what limb fhall you be fmitten, if you add
^' defedlion ? for alreafly for your fins have you been
*' fmitten upon all of them ; fo that there is not to
" be found in you a whole limb, on which you can
?' be fqfiitten." Which ag^-ees with what follows:
*' From the fole of the foot even to the head, there
*' is no foundnefs therein :" and the fentiment and
image is exadlly the fame witji that of Ovid, Pont,
*' Vix habet in nobis jgm nov? plaga locum."
Dr that ftill more expreflive line of Euripides ; the
great force and effedl of -which Longinus afcribes to
Its clofe and compreft ftrudlure, analogous to the
fenfe which it exprefles :
TifiM xmutiv S;)' x.' sxst*- srS' ottij rs^n.
I'm full of mife^ries : there's no room far more.
Here. Fur. 1245. Long. fefl-. 40.
" On what part wiil ye ftrike again; wiH ye add
*' corredlion ?"¦ This is addreffed to the inftruments
pf God's vengeance ; thofe that inflidled the punifh
ment, who or what foever they were. " Ad ver^
!' bum certae perfonse inteUigendae funt, quibus ifta
" adlio

lo irOTBS ON CHAP. I.
*^ adlip [quae per -verbliiii exprimitur] competit:" as
Glaffius fays in a fimilar, cafe, Phil.' Sacr. i. 3.' 22.
See.ch. vlii. 4. ' ' " , '
9 As from pT/njn;: 'knowlege; from yj;'*, mjT,
counfel; from '[£;'',' nitt?, fleep, &c. fo from *1D^ is
regularly jderived mr, corredlion. ^
- 6.. It hath, not Been preffed — ] The art of me'di;^ .
cine in the Eaft confifts chiefly in' external applica
tions.: accordingly the Prophet's images in-this place
are -all 'taken from' furgery. Sir John , Chardin, iii
his- note 6n Prov' iii. 8. " It fhall be health to thy-
" navel -and marrow to thy bones;" obferves, ' that
" the tornparifonas takeii from the plafters, oint-
'* ments, 'oils, fridlions, which ate made ufe of in
"the -Eaft upon the belly and ftomach in moft mar
" ladies. Being ignorant in the villages' of the art
*' of making decodlions and, potions, arid of th^
" 'proper doles of fuch things, they generally make
*' ufe of external medicines." Harmer's Obferva7
tions on Scripture, vol. 11. p. 488. And in furgery
their materia medica is extremely fimple ; oil making
the principal part of it. " In India," fays Taver-.
nier, " they have a certain preparation of oil and
'-'. melted greafe, which they commonly ufe for. the
""healing of' wounds." Voyage Ind. So. the good
Samaritan poured oil and wine on the woujids of the
diftrefled jew : v^ine, cleanfing and fornewhat aftrin-r
gent, proper for a frefh wound ; oil, mollifying and
healing. Luke x., 34.
Ofthe three verbs in this, fentence one is in the
fingular number in the text, another is fingular in
two MSS (one of them Antient) nt^inn; and ,Syr.j,nd,
Vulg. render;all of themin the- fingular number!
_ - 7 — 9. Your country is defolate—] ' The defcrip
tion of the ruined and defolate ftate of the country
in thefe v'erfes does- not fuit with any part of th9
profperous times of Ujziiiah and Jodiain. It. very
2i ' 'WeU;

pHAP. I, ISAIAH.. 11
well agrees with the time of Ahaz, when Judea was
ravaged by the joint invafion of the Lfraelites and
Syrians, and by the incurftons of th'e Philifiines and
Edomites. The date of this Prophecy is generally
fixed to the time of Ahaz. But on the other hand.
it may be confide^red, whether thofe inftances of
idolatry, which are urged in the 29th verfe, (the
worfhiping in groves and gardens,) having been at
all times too commonly pradlifed, can be fuppofed
to be the -only ones, which the Prophet would infift
upon in the time of Ahaz ; who fpread the groffeft
Idolatry through the whole country, and introduced
it even into the Temple ; and to complete his abo
minations, made his fon pafs through the fire to
Moloch. It is faid, 2 Kings xv. 37. that in, Jo
tham's time " the Lord began to fend againft Judah
" Retfin and Pekah:" if we may fuppofe any in-va-
fion from that quarter to have been adlually made at '
the latter end of Jotham's reign,, I fhould choofe to
refer this Prophecy to that time.
7. D^^I, (at the end of the verfe.) , This reading,
though confij-med by all the antient Verfions, gives
us no good fenfe; for your land is devoured by
" ftrangers; and is defolate j as if overthrown by
'¦'¦ fir angers " is a mere tautology, or, what is as
bad, an identical comparifon. Aben Ezra thought,
that the word, ,in its prefent form, might be taken
for the fame with Dit, an inundation : Schultens is
of the fame opiniori; (fee Taylor's Concord.) and.
Schindler in' his. Lexicon explains it in the fame
manner : and fo, fays Kimchi, fome explain it. A-
bendana endeavours to reconcile it to Grammatical
analogy in the following- manner : ' ' D^lt is the fame
." with DTI ; that is, as overthrown by an inundation
^,' of waters : and thefe two words have the fame
*' analogy as Dip and Di''np. ,Or it may be a 'con-
*ff Crete, of the fame form witli TJK^ ; and the mean-
'" ;¦ ' ' "-.ing

IS jioyEs O.N CHAf . r,
-*'^' ing will be, as overthrown by rain pouring down
*' violently, and caufing a fl:ood." On Sal. b. Me
lech, in loc. But I rather fuppofe the true reading
to be Dit, and have tranflated it accordingly : the-
word pnr, in the line above, feems to have caught
the tranfcriber's eye, and to have led him into this
miftake. 8. As a-fhed in a vineyard — J A Ktde temporary
hut covered with boughs, ftraw, turf, or the like
materials, for a fhelter from the heat by day, and
the cold and dews by night, for the watchman, that
kept the garden, or vineyard, during the fhort fea
fon, while the fruit was ripening; (fee Job xxvii.
1 8.) and prefently removed, when it had ferved that
purpofe. See Harmer, Obferv. i. 454. .They were
probably obliged to have fuch a conftant watch, to
defend the fruit from the Ja(:kals. " The Jackal,"
(Chical of the Turks,) fays Haffelquift, (Travels, p.
377,) " is a fpecies of Muftela, which is very cpm-
*¦' mon in Paleftine, efpecially during the vintage,
" and often deftro-ys whole vineyards, and gardens
*'-of cucumers." " There is alfo plenty of the Ca--
" nis Vulpes, the Fox, near the convent of St. John,
*' in the defert, about vintage time; for they de-
** ftroy all the vines, i^nlefs they are ftridlly watch-
" ed." Ibid. p. 184. See Cant. 11. 15. "
Fruits of the Gourd kind, melons, water-melons,
cucumers, &C. are much ufed, and in great requeft,
in the Levant, on account of their cooling, quality.
The Ifraelites in the wildernefs regretted the lofs of
the cucumers and the melons, aniong the other good
things of Egypt ; Num. xi. 5. In Egypt the feafon
of water-melons, which. are moft in requeft, and
which the comrnon people then chiefly live upon,
lafts but three, weeks. See; Haffelquift, p. 256. Ta
vernier makes it of longer continuance : " L'on y
" void de grands carreaux de melons & de concom-
6 *'^ bres;

CHAP* r. ISAIAH.

13

' bres 5 mais beaucoup plus des derniers, dont les
' I'icvantins font leurs delices. Le plus fouvent ils
' les mangent fans les peler, apres quoy ils vont
' boire une verre d'eau. Dans toute I'Afie c'eft la
' nourriture ordinaire du petit peuple pendant tro is
\ ou quatre mois ; toute la famille en vit, & quand
' un enfant demande a manger, au lieu qu'en prance
'Ou ailleurs nous luy donnerions du pain, dans le
' Levant on luy prefente un concombre, qu'il mange
' cru comme on le vient de cueiUir.-^Les concom-
' bres dans ie Levant ont une bonte particuliere, &
'quoiqu' on les mange crus, ils ne font jamais de
' mal." Tavernier, Relat, du Serrail, c. xix.
Ibid, a city taken by fiege.] So lxx. and Vulg.
9. Jehovah-God of Hofts] As this Title of God
JT)K3S mns " JEHOVAH of Hofts," occurs here for
the firft time, I think it proper to note, that I tran
flate it always, as in this place, " jehovah God of
" Hofts ;" taking it as an elliptical expreffion for
rmyi *nb« mn^ This title imports, that JEHOVAH
is the God, or Lord, of Hofts, or Armies; as hei,?
the Creator, and fupreme Governor of all beings in
heaven and earth ; and difpofeth and ruleth 'them all
in their feveral orders and ftations; the Almighty,
Univerfal Lord.
10. Ye princes of Sodom^ — ] The incidental
mention of Sodom and Gomorrah in the preceding,
verfe, fuggefted to the Prophet this fplrited: addrefs
to the rulers and inhabitants of Jerufalem, under-
the charadler of princes of Sodom and people of Go
morrah. Two examples of a fort of elegant turn, of
the like kind may be obferved in St. Paul's Epiftle-
to the Romans, xv. 4, 5, and 12, 13. See Locke
on the place : and fee 29, 30, of tins chapter ; which
gives another ;example of the fame.
1 1. — ^the fat of fed beafts, And in the blood — '\
The fat a-tid the blood are particularly mentioned, becaufe

14 NOTESON CHAP.-Ii
becaufe thefe were in all facrifices fet apart to God;
The fat was always burnt upon the altar ; and the
blood was partly fprinked, differently on different
occafions, and partly poured out at the bottom of
the aitar. See Lev. iv.
II, — 1 6. What have T to do — ] The- prophet
Amos has expreffed the fame fentiments with great
elegance :
" I hate, T defpife your feafts ;
«' And I will not delight in the odour of your folemnl-
" ties :
*' Though ye offer unto, me burnt-offerings ;
" And your meat-offerings I will not accept :
" Neither will I regard the peace-offering of your fat-
*' lings,
" Take away from me the noife of your fongs ;
" And the melody of your viol^ I will not hear.
*' But let judgement roll down like waters ;
•' And righteoufnefs like a mighty flream." Amos V. 28—24.
12, Tread my Courts np more- — ], So the lxx
divide the fentence ; joining the end of this verfe to*
the beginning of the next, '
X3. The faft, and the day of reftraint] miJV'J fi^V
The words are rendered in many different manners by
different interpreters ; to a good and probable fenfe by
all ; but, I think, by none in fuch a fenfe as -can
arife from the phrafe itfelf, agreeably to the idiom'
ofthe Hebrew language, Inftead of 'pi*, the lxx
manifeftly .read Dili, v^gsixv, "the Faft." This
Houbigant has adopted. The Prophet could not
well have omitted the.Faft in the enumeration, of their
folemnities ; nor the abufe ofit, among the inftances of
their hypocrify, which he has treated at large with
fuch force and elegance in his lvi nth chapter. Ob
ferve alfo, that the prophet Joel twice joins together-
the Faft, and the day of Reftraint : .

QiHAP. I. 1 S AI A II. '15
nnsy iK-ip -Dijj'wnp ' =3
« " Sanftify a faft ; proclaim ^a day of reftraint:"
Joel I.' 14. II. 15.
Which .fliews how properly they are here joined to
gether. r\'Xiy, the Rejlraint, is rendered, both here
and in other places in our Englifh Tranflation, the
Jolemn Affembly. ¦ Certain Holy- D.ays, ordained by
the Law, were diftinguifhed by a particular charge,
that " no fervile work fhould be done therein."
Lev. XXIII.. 36. Num. xXix. 35. Deut. xvi. 8.
This circumftance clearly explains the reafon of the
name, the Reftraint ^ or the day of Refiraint, given
to thofe days.
If I could approve of any tranflation of thefe two
.Words, which I have met with, it fhould be that of
the Spanifh Verfion of the Old Teftament, made for
the ufe ofthe Spanifh- Jews: " tortura y detenimi-
"^nto," " it is a pain and a conftraint unto me."
But I ftill think, that the reading of the lxx is more
probably the truth.
15. When ye fpread — ] The Syr. lxx. and ms
read D3!yi31, without the conjundlion v
. Ibid. For your hands — ] At ya^ X*'P^f- t-xx.
Manus eni?n veftrae. Vulg. They feem to have read
16. Wafh ye — ] Referring to the preceding
verfe, " your hands are full of blood :" and alluding
to the legal wafhings commanded on feveral occa
sions. See Lev. xiv. 8, 9, 47.
17. amend that which is corrupted] 'p^H TW^.
In rendering this obfcure phrafe I foUow Bochart,
(Hieroz. part. i. lib. 11. cap. 7.) though I am not
perfedlly fatisfied with his explication of it.
,18. Though your fins v/ere as fcarlet — ] ^Jtt^,
*' fcarlet, or crimfon," dibaphum, twice dipped, or
double-dyed -f from T\W, iterare, to double, or to d^ a
thing twice : this derivation feems much more pro
bable

1$ iad'Tzi oir chap, frf
bable than that, which Salmafitts prefer!, from pis',
acuere i from the ftarpnef and ftrength of the colour ;
e^vfotvi-MVi j;^jn, the fame ; properly the worm, ver-
miculus, (from whence vermeil ;) for this colour was
produced from a worm, dr infedl, which grew in ,a
coccus, or excrefcence, of a fhrub of the ilex kind ;
(fee Plin. Nat. Hifl. xvi. 8.) like the cothineai
Worm ih the Opuntia of America;^ (fee Ulloa's Voy
age, b. V. ch. 2. note to p. 34a.) There is a fhrub'
of this kind, that grows in Provence and Languedoc^
and produces the like infedl, called the kermes oak^
(fee Miller, Didl. Suercus ;) from kermez. the Arabic-
word for this colour; whence our word crimfon iis-
derived. " Neque amiflos colores
," Lana refert medicata fuco,"
fays the .poet;; applying the fame iniage to a dif?e-'
rent purpofe: to difcharge thefe ftrong colours iS'
impoffible to human art or power ; but to the grace
and power of God, all things, even much' more dif
ficult, are poffible and eafy.
19. Ye fhall feed on the good of land] Refer
ring to ver. 7,: it fhall hot be " devoured by ftran-
" gers." 20. Ye fhall be food for the fword] The txx
and Vulg. read D3'?DNrt, " the fwOrd ftiall devour
"you;' which is of much riiore eafy conftrudlion
than the prefent reading of the text.
" The Chaldee feems to read "i^3j<Jn a^li* airfi;
"ye .fhall be confumed by the fword of the enemy."
Syr. alfo reads Sini, and renders the vertx paffively.
And the Rhythmus feems to require this addition."
DR. JUP>E.
,'21. — become a harlot] Sefe Lowth, Cdmment.-
on the place; arid De S. I'oef Hebr^ Prael. xxxi.,'
22. wine mixed with water] An image tiled for
the adulteration of wine, with more propriety, than may

PHAP. I. ISAIAH. i-i
may at firft appear, if what Thevenot fays of the
people of the Levant of late times was true of them
formerly: he fays, '"'they never mingle- water with
*' their wine to drink; but drink. by. itfelf what-
*' water they think proper for abating the ftrength
" of the -vvine." " Lorfque les Perfans boivent da
.*' vin, ils le prennent tout pur, a la fa?on des Le-
*' yantinS, qui ne le melent jamais avec de I'eau;
*.* mais en beuvant du vin, de temps en temps ils
" prennent un pot d'eau, & en boivent de grands
" traits." Voyage, part li.,liv. ii.chap. lo. "lis
*' (les Turcs) ny meflent jamais d'eau, & fe mo-
" quent des Chreftiens, qui en mettent, ce qui leur
*' femble tout a fait ridicule." Ibid, part i. chap. 24.
It is remarkable, that whereas, the Greeks and
Latins' by mixt wine always underftood wine diluted
and lowered with water ; the Hebrews on the con
trary generally mean by it wine made ftronger and
more: inebriating, by the addition of higher and
more powerful ingredients ; fuch as honey, fpices,
defrutum, (or wine infpiffated by boiling it dowri to
two thirds, or one half, of the quantity,) myrrh,
' mandragora, opiates, and other ftrong drugs. Such
were the exhilarating, or rather ftupifying, ingre
dients, which Helen mixed in the bowl' together
with the wine for her guefts oppreffed with grief, to
raife their fpirits ; the compofition of which fhe had
learned -in Egypt:
Kviist ot,^ iig onov 0oiXs (pa^fjiXKOV, ititisii tirivov,
NjJTTJV^cJ t' U%6KoV ti, -KKMOV STTlAjJ^OV CUTTtXvjitJV.
Homer. Odyff. iv. aao.
",Mean while, with genial joy to warm the foul,
?' Bright rielen mix'd a mirth-infpiring bowl ;
" Temper'd with drugs of fovetpign ufe, t' affwage
*' The boding bofom of tumultuous rage :
" Charm'd with that virtuous draught, th' exalted mind
" All fenfe of woe delivers to the wind." Pope. ,.
VQt. It. c Such

l8 NOTES ON CHAP. f«
Such was *' the fpieed wine and the juice of pome-
^' granates," ftientioned Cant. vm. a. And how
much the Eaftern people to this day. deal in artifi
cial liquors of prodigious flrength, the ufe- of wine
being forbidden, may be feen in a curious chapter
©f Keiupfer upon that fubjedl. Amcen. Exot. Fafe.
III. Obf 15. •
- Thus the drunkard is properly defcribed, (Prov.
, XXIII. 30.) as one " thar feeketh mixt wine;" and
is " mighty to mingle ftrong drink:" Ifaiah v. 22.
And hence the Pfalmift took that highly poetical and
fublime image of the Cup of God's wrath, called by
Ifaiah, (li. 17.) " the cup of trembling," (causing
intoxication and ftupefadlion ; fee Chappelow's note
on Hariri, p. 33.) containing, as St. John expreffes
in Greek the Hebrew idea, with the utmoft preci
fion, though, with a feeming contradi'i^lion in terms,
'x;K£pi>i<r[j!.svov otK^jovy merum mixtum, pure wine made
yet ftronger by a mixture of powerful ingredients.
Rev. XIV. 10. " In the hand of jehovah" faith
the Pfalmift, (Pf. lxxv. 9.) " there is a cup, and
" the wine is turbid: it is full of a mixed liquor,
" and he poureth out of it : (or rather, " he pour-
*' eth it out of one veffel into another," to mix. it
" perfedlly; according to the reading expreffed by
" the- antient verfions, nt b^ HtD liT):) verily the
*' dregs thereof, (the thickeft fediment ofthe ftrong
" ingredients mingled with it,) all the ungodly of
*' the earth fliall wring them out, and drink them."
¦ 33. affociates — J The lxx, Vulg. and four mss
t^d nsrr, without the conjundlion 7.
24. , Aha ! I will be eafed—] Anger, arifing, ,
from a fenfe of injury and affront, efpecially from
thofe,^ y/ho, frorn every confideration . of d-aty ^nd
gratitude, ought to have behaved far otherwife, is
an uneafy aod painful fenfation : and revenge, exe
cuted Ad the full on the offenders,, removes that tin-
: . • ., ^a%efs.

CHAP. If ISAIAH. 19
eafinefs, and confequently is pleafing and quieting,
at leaft for the prefent. Ezekiel introduces God ex
preffing hirnfelf in the fanie manner :
" And mine anger fliall be fully accomplifhed ;
" And I will raake my fury reft upon them ;
" And I will give myfelf eafe." Chap. v. 13.
This is a ftrong inftance of the metaphor called An
thropopathia ; by which, throughout the Scriptures,
as well the hiftorical as the poetical parts, the fenti
ments, fenfations, and affedlions ; the bodily facul
ties, qualities, and members, of men, and even of
brute animals, are attributed to God ; and that with
the utmoft liberty and latitude of application. The
foimdation of this is obvious ; it arifes from necef
fity: we have no idea of the natural attributes of
God, of his pure eflence, of his manner of exiftence,
of his manner of adling : when therefore we would
treat on thefe fubjedls, we find ourfelves forced to
exprefs them by fenfible images. But neceffity leads
to beauty: this is true of metaphor in general, and
in particular of this kind of metaphor 3 "which is ufed
with great elegance and fublimity in the facred Poe
try: and what is very remarkable, in the groffeft
inftances of the application of it, it is generally the
moft ftriking and the moft fubliitie. The reafon
feems to be this : when the images are taken from
the fuperior faculties of the human nature, from the
purer and more generous affedlions, and applied to
God, We are apt to acquiefce in the notion ; we
overlook the metaphor, and take it as a proper at
tribute: but when the idea is grofs and offenfive, as
inthis paffage I of Ifaiah, where the impatience of
anger, and the pleafure of revenge^ is attributed to
God ; we are immedia,tely fliocked at the applica- '
tion, the impropriety ftrikes us at once ; and the
mind cafting about for fomething, in the Divine Na
ture analcgous to the image, ' lays hold on fome
c a great.

20 NOTESON CHAP. T:
great, obfcure, vague idea, which fhe. endeavours
in vain to comprehend, and is loft in immenfity and
aftoniffiment. See De. S. Poefi Hebr. Prael. xvi.
fub fin. where this matter is treated and illuftrated
by examples. i
25. in the furnace], The text has 1^3 1 which
fome render, " as withfoap:" as if it were the fame
with nm3D ; fo Kimchi : but foap can haye nothing
to do with the purifying of metals: others, " accor-
" ding to purity, or purely" as our Verfion. Le
Clerc conjedlured, that the true reading is msi,
'¦^ as, in the furnace -f fee Ezek. xxi i. 18.20. Dr.
Durell propofes only, a tranfpofition of letters 133 i
to the fame fenfe : and fo likewife Archbifhop
Seeker. ' That this is the true reading is highly pro
bable. '
26. And after this — '\ The lxx, Syr. Chald^
and eighteen mss add the conjundlion v
27. " in judgement ;" by the exercife of God's
ftridl juftice in . deftroying' the obdurate, (fee ver.
3'8.) and delivering the penitent: " in righteouf-^
"nefs;" by the truth and faithfulnefs of God in
performing his promifes.
29,. 30. For ye fhall be afhamed of the ilexes — ~^
Sacred groves were a very antient and favourite ap
pendage of idolatry. They were furnifhed with the
temple qf the Gpd to whom they were dedicated ;
with altars, irjaages, and every thing neceffary for
performing the Various rites of worfhip offered there;
and were the fcenes of many iiupure ceremonies,
and of much abonlinable fuperftition. They fnade
a principal part of the religion of the old inhabitants
of Canaan ; and the Ifraelites were commanded to
deftroy their groves, among other monuments of
their falfe worfhip. The Ifraelites themfelves be
came afterward very much addidled to this fpecies
of idolatry.' " When

CHAP. I. ISAIAH. al
*' When I had brought them into the land, '
•' Which I fware that I would give unto them;
'** Then they faw every high hill, and every thick tree:
" And there they flew their vidlims ;
*'. And there they prefented the provocation of their of-
" ferings j ' ~
*• And there they placed their fweet favour ; ,. ¦^.
*' And there they poured out their libations." Ezek, XX. 28.
" On the tops ofthe mountains they facrifice;-
" And on the hills they burn incenfe :
" Under the oak, and the poplar ;
" And the ilex, becaufe her ihade is pleafant," Hofe^, IV. ;3.
Of what particular kinds the trees here mentioned.
are, it cannot be determined with certainty. In rcr-
gard to T\bii, in this place of Ifaiah, as well as in
Hofea, Celfius (Hierobot.) underftands it of the
Terebinth : becaufe the moft antient interpreters
, render it fo ; in the firft place the lxx. He quotes
eight places ; but in three of thefe eight places the
copies vary, fome having ^pvg inftead of Tip jS/v5©j.'
And he fhould have told us, that thefe fame lxx
render it in fixteen other places by \vs : fo that their
authority is really againft him ; and the lxx ftant
pro quercu, contrary to what he fays at firft fetting
out. Add to this, that Syriimachus, Theodotion,
and Aquila, generally render it by Ipvc ; the latter
only once rendering it by r.-piSiv^(^. His other ar
guments feem to me not very conclufive : he fays,
that all the qualities of rdik agree to the Terebinth ;
that it grows in mountainous countries ; that it is a
ftrong tree ; long-lived ; large and high ; and deci
duous. All thefe qualities agree juft as well to the
Oak, againft which he contends ; and he adlually
attributes them to, the Oak in the very, next fedlion.
But, I think, neither the Oak, nor the Terebinth,
will do in this place of Ifaiah, from the laft circum-
c 3 ftance

as NOTESON.
ftance \yhich' he mentions, their being deciduous';
where the Prophet's defign feems to me to require
an ever-green: otherwife the cafting of its leaves
would be nothing out of the cpmmdn -eftablif]ied
courfe of nature, arjd no proper iiiiage of extrenie
diftrefs, and total defolation; parallel to that of a
garden without water, that is^ wholly burnt up and
deftroyed. An Antient, who was an inhabitant and
a native of this country, underftands it, in like
manner, of a tree blafted with uncommon and im
moderate heat : 'f velut arbores, cum frondes aeftii,
*' torrente decufferunt." Ephraem Syr. in Ipc. Edit,
Affemani. Compare Pf i- 4- Jer. xvn. 8. Upon
the \yhole, I have chofen to make it the Ilex ; which
word Vpffius (Etymolog.) -derives from the, Hebrew
pbi^; that, whether the word itfelf be rightly ren-r
dered or not, I might at leaft preferve the propriety
pf the poetical image. ,'
29. For ye fhall be afhamed] WinJl, in the fer
cond Perfon, Vulg. .Chald. two mss, and one Edir
^ion ; and in agreement with the reft of the fentence.
30. ": — ^whofe leaves^ Twenty fix mss and. three
Editions read p>^y, in its full and regular form.
This if worth remarking, as it account^ for a great
nutnber of anqipalies of the like kind, which want
pnly the famp authority to redlify them.
'30.- — :a garden wherein is no water.] In the
hotter' parts of thg Eaftern Countries,', a. conftant
fupply 'of- water is fo abfolutely neceffary for the
j:ultiya{:iopj and even for the prefervation and exif
tence pf a gardeiij that fhould it want water but for
a few days;' every 'thing m it would be burnt up with
the heat, and totally' dpffroyed." There is therefore
no garden-whatever in thofe countries, but, what has
fuch a certain fupply ; either from fome neighbour
ing river, or from a refervoir 6f water colledled
iiom fprings, or fiUpd with -rain-water' in the proper
feafon.

CHAP. U I S A I A H, *3
feafon, in Sufficient -quantity tp afford .ample provi- .
iion for the reft of the year.
Mofes, having defcribed the habitation of man
newly created, as a garden, planted with every tree
pleafant to the fight and good for food ; adds, as a
circumftance neceflary to complete the idea of a gar
den, that it was well fupplied with water-: (Gen. ii.
lo. and fee xm. lo.) "And s. river went out of
*' Eden to water the garden."
That thje reader may have a clear notion of this
matter, it will be neceflTary to give fome account of
•the management of their gardens in this refpedl.
" Dainafcus (fays Maundrell, p, 122) is encom-
** paffed with gardens, extending no leff, according
*' to common eflimation, thgin thirty miles round;
** -which makes it look like a city in -a vaft wood.
** The gardens are thick fet with fruit-trees of all
¦*' kinds, kept frefh and Verdant by the waters of
**¦ Barrady, (the Chryforrhoas of the antients,) which
" fupply both the gardens and city in great abun-
•*' dance. This river, as foon as it iffues out from,
¦*' between the cleft of the mountain before men-
-'*', -tioned -into -thp plain, is iinmediately divided into
" three flreams ; of which the middlemoft and big-
^' geift runs diredlly to Damafcus, and is diftributed
" to all the cifterns and fountains of the city. The
" other two (which I -take to be the work of art)
" are drawn. round, one to the right hand, and the
" other to the left, on the borders of the gardens,
*' intp which they are let as they pafs, by little cur-
" rents, and fo difperfed all over the vaft wood.
" infomuch, that there is not a garden but has a
" fine quick ftream jrunning through it. Barrady is
" almoft wholly drunk up by the city and gardens,
" What fmall part ofit efeapes is united, as I was
" informed, in one channel again, on the South-eaft
*^ fide of the city ; and, after about three or four
c 4 " hours

aif NOTES ON CHAP. I.
"-hours courfe, finally lofes itfelf in a bog there,
" without ever arriving at the fea." This was like-
" wife the cafe in former times, as Strabo, lib. x-vi.
Pliny, V. 1 8. teftify; who fay, "that this river
" was expended in canals, and drunk up by water-
*' ing the place." ¦ .
" The beft fight (fays the fame Maundrell, p.
"39) that the palace [of the Emir of Beroot, an-
" tiently Berytus,] affords, and the worthieft to be'
" remembered, is the Orange Garden. It contains
" a large quadrangular plat of ground, divided into
" fixteen leffer fquares, four in a row, with walks
*' between them. The walks are fhaded with orange-
*' trees, of a large fpreading fize. Every one of thefe
*' fixteen leffer fquares in the garden was bordered
*' with ftone; and in the ftone -work were troughs, very
" artificially contrived, for conveying the water all
*' o-v-er the garden : there beinglittle outlets cut at every
"tree, for the ftream, as it paffed by, to flOw- out,-
"and water it." The royal gardens- at Ifpahan are
watered juft in the fame manner, according to Kefnp-
fer's defcription, Amoen. Exot. p. 193.
This gives us a clear idea of the D*0 *.1^9, men
tioned in the firft Pfalm^ and other places of Scrip
ture, " the divifions of waters," the waters diftri
buted in artificial canals ; for fo the phrafe properly
fignifies. The prophet Jeremiah has imitated, and
elegantly amplified, the paflTage of the Pfalmift
above referred to : •
" He (hall be like a tree planted by the water-fide,
•' And which fendeth forth her roots to the aquedudl :
" She fhall nor fear, when the heat cometh;
" But her leaf fhall be green ;
" And in the year of drought (he IhaU not be anxious,
«' Neither fhail ihe ceafe fiom bearing fruit."
.. ¦ ¦ . Jer. XVII. 8.
From

ft

CHAP. I. ISAIAH. 25
From this image the fon of Sirach has moft beau
tifully illuftrated the influence and the increafe of re
ligious wifdom in a well-prepared heart :
" I alfo came forth as a canal from a river,
" And as a conduit flowing into a paradife.
" I faid : I will Virater my garden,
" Ai-id I will abundantly moiften my border:
And lo ! rny canal became a river,
And my river became a lea." Ecclus, xxiv. 30, 3t-
This' gives us the true rneaning of the following
elegant Proverb :
" The heart of the king is like the canals of waters in
"the hand of JEHOVAH ;
*' "Whitherfoever it pleafeth him, he inclineth it."
Prov. XXI. I.
The diredlion of it is in the hand of jehovah, as
the diftribution of the water of the refervoir, through
the garden, by different canals, is at the will of the
gardener: _ ,, ,
" Et, quum exuftus ager morientibus acftuat herbis,
"Ecce fupercilio clivofi tramitis undam
" Elicit : ilia cadens raucum per levia murmur
" Saxa ciet, fcatebrifque arentia tepperat arva."
Virg. Georg. i.' 107.
Solomon mentions his own works of this kind :
" I made me gardens, and paradifes;
" And 1 planted in them all kinds of fruit-trees.
" I made me pools of water,
" To water with them the grOve flourifhing with trees.'''
Ecelef. II. j, 9.
Maundrell, (p. 88,) has given a defcription of the
remains, as they .are faid to be, of thefe very pools
made by Solomon, for the reception and preferva-,
tiop of the waters of a fpring, rifing at a fittle dif
tance from them; which will give us a perfedl no-
¦ tion

»6 NOTES ON CHAP.- 1,
tion of the contrivance and defign of fuch .refervoirs.
*' As for the pools, they are three in number, lying.
*' in a row above each other; being fo difpofed,
" that the waters pf the uppermoft may defcend
" into the fecond, and thofe ofthe fecond into the
"third. Their figure is quadrangular ; the breadth
" is the fame in all, amounting to about ninety -
*' paces : iri their length there is fome difference be-
*' tween them; the firft beihg one himdred and
*' fixty paces long ; the fecond, tvy^o hundred ; the
*f third, two hundred and twenty. They are aU
" liried with wall, and plaftered; and contain- a
" great depth of water."
The immenfe works, which were made by the
antient kings of Egypt, for receiving the waters of
the Nile, when it overflowed, for fuch ufes^ are
Well known. But there never was a more ftupen
dous -(vork of this kindj than the refervoir, of Saba,
Or Mft-ab, in Afabia Felix. According to thd tra
ditions of the country, it was the work of Balkis,
. that queen of Sheba who vifited Solomon. It was a
vaft lake formed by the coUedlion of the waters of
a torrent in a valley, where, at a narrow pafs bc-
' tween two mountains, a very high mole, or dam,
was built. The water of the lake fo formed had
near t^'-enfy fathom depth ; and there were three
fluices at different highths, by which, at whatever
highth the lake ftood,' the plain below might be
watered. By conduits and canals frorri thefe fluices
the water was conftantly diftributed in due propor
tion to the feveral lands ; fo that tKe whole country
for many miles became a perfedl paradife. I'he city
of Saba, or Merab, was fituated immediately belovc
the great dam : a great flood came, and raifed the
lake above its ufual higlith : the dam gave way in
tlie middle of tbe night ; the waters burft forth: at
once, and ovisrwhelpcd the whole city, with the
ntkh--

CHAP, J. ISAIAH. 27
neighbouring towns, and people. The remains of
eight tribes were forced to abandon th^ir dwelling,
and the beautiful valley became a morafs and a de
fert. This fatal cataftrophe happened' Jong before
the time of Mohamrried, who menrions it in the
Koran, chap, xxxiv. See alfo Sale, Prelim, fedl.
I. and Michaelis, Queftions aux Voyageurs Danois^
J^'? 94. Niebuhr, Defcript. de I'Arabie, p. 240.

CHAP., II.
THE Prophecy contained in the fecond, third,
,an4 fourth chapters, makes one continued difcourfe.
The firft five verfes of chapter 11 foretell the king-
.dom of Mefliah, the converfion of the Gentiles,
;and their admiffion into it. From the 6th verfe to
the, end of the fecond chapter is foretold the punifh
ment of the unbelieving Jews, for their idolatrous
pradlices, their confidence in their own ftrength,
and diftruft of God's protedlion ; and moreover the,
deftrudlion of idolatry, in confequence of the efta
blifhment .of Meffiah's kingdom. The whole third
chapter, with the firft verfe of the fourth, is a pro
phecy .of the calamities of the Babylonian invafion
,and captivity ; with a particular amplification of the
.diftrefs of the proud and luxurious daughters of
jSion. Chapter iv. 2 — 6, promifes to the remnant,
which fhall have efcaped this fevere purgation, a fu
ture reftoration to the favour and protedlion of G-ad.
This Prophecy was probably delivered in the time
pf Jotham, or perhaps in that of Uzziah ; as ' Ifaiah
is faid to have prophecied in his reign; to which
time not any of his prophecies is fo applicable as that
pf thefe chapters. The feventh verfe of the fecond
^nd fhe latter part of the third chapter, plainly point out

aS NOTES OS" I CHAP.II.
out times in which riches abounded, and. luxury and
delicacy prevailed. Plenty of filver and gold could
only arife froth their commerce ; particularly from
that part of it, which was carried on by the Red
Sea. This circumftance feems to confine the Pro
phecy within the limits above mentioned, -while the
port 'of Elath was in their hands : it was loft urider
Ahaz, and never recovered..
a. — in the latter days — •] "Wherever the latter.
*' times are mentioned in Sqripture, the days of the
*' Meffiah are alwajs meant;" fays Kimchi on this
place : and in regard to this place, nothing can be
more clear and certain.. The prophet Micah, (chap.
IV. 1—4,) has repeated this prophecy of the efta
blifhment of the kingdom of Chrift, and of its pro
grefs !to univerfality and perfedlion, in the fame
words, with little and hardly any material variation :
for as he did not begin to prophecy till Jotnam's
time, and this feems to be one of the firft of Ifaiah's
grophecies, I fuppofe Micah to have taken it from
ence. The variations, ias I faid, are of no great
importance. Verfe 2, HTf after KJyJI, a word of
fome emphafis, may be fupplied from Micah, if
dropt in Ifaiah: an antient Ms has it here in tlie
margin : it has in like manner been loft in chapter
LIII. 4. (fee note on the place:) and in Pf xxn.
29. where it is fupplied by Syr. and txx. Inftead
of Cian b:2, all the nations, Micah has only COV,
peoples; where Syr. has C'lai? ^D, all peoples, as pro-
. bably it ought to be. Verfe 3 , for the 2d bvi read
b^k'), feventeen MSS,' two Editions, lxx, Vulg. Sj^r.
Chald. and fo Micah iv. 2. Verfe 4, Micah adds,
pm ^V! ^f<^f off, which the Syriac alfo reads in this
parallel place of Ifaiah. It is alfo to be obferved,
that Micah has improved the paffage by adding a
verfe, or fentence, for imagery and expreffion wor
thy even of the elegance of Ifaiah :
1 " And

chap. Hi ISA.IAH.; If
" A;nd they fhall fit, every man. -under his vine; . ¦
'* And under his fig-tree, and none fliall afFraght them :
*' For the mputh otijEHovAH Gpd of Hofts liath fpo-
«' ken it." . - c ¦.'',.., ¦
The defcription of well-eftablifhed peace,, by ^e
image of f-f beating their fwords into plough-fhares,
" andthelr fpears into pruning-hooks," is very poe- ¦
tical.. TheMRoman poets have; employed 'the fame
image: Martial, xiv. 34." Falx ex enfe."
" Pax me certa ducis placidos curvavit in ufus :
" Agricolae nunc fum ; militis ante fui."
The prophet JOel hath reverfed it, and applied it td
war prevailing over peace:
" Beat your plough-fliares into fwords ;
" And your pruning-hooks into fpears." Joel, in. lOy
And fo likewife the Roman pOets :
" Non ullus aratro
" Dignus bonos : fqualent abduftis arva colonis,
" Et curvse rigidum falces conflantur in enfem."
Virg. Georg. i. 506^,
'• ^ella diu tenuere viros : erat aptior enfis
" Vomere : cedebat taurus arator equo.
" Sarcula ceffabant ; verfique in pila ligones ;
" Fafltaque de i;aflri pondere caffis erat."
^ Ovid. Faft. I. 697.
The prophet Ezekiel has prefignified the fame..
great event with equal clearnefs, though in a more
abftrufe form, in an allegory ; from an image, fug-t
gefted by the former part of the prophecy, happily,
introduced, and well purfued:
, " Thus faith the Lord jehovah :
•'1 myfelf will take from the fhoot of the lofty cedar ;
•• Even a tender xrion from the top of his ciona will I
" pluck off: •-
" Ani

go NOTES ON CHAP. It*
" And I myfeif will plant it on a mountain high and
^' eminent.
" On the lofty raountain of Ifrael will I plaftt it ; -
*' And it (hall exalt its branch, and bring forth ftuitj
" And it fhall become a majeftic cedar : ,
*' And under it fhall dwell all fowl of every wing ;
"In tbe fhadow of its branches fhall tliey dwpllj
" And all the tree* of the field fhall know,
*' That I JEHOVAH have biso-oght low tlie high trecf
**Have exalted the low tree j '
*' Have dried up the green tree ;
*' And have raade the dry tree to flourifh :
•' I JEHOVAH have fpokeri it, and will do it."
Ezek. XVII. 22— a^*
The word 'if\r\St in this paflage, verfe 22, a* the
feritence now ftands, feems incapable of being re
duced to any proper conftrudlion or fenfe ; none of
the antient Verfions acknowlege it, except Theodo
tion, and Vulg.; and all but the latter vary very'
much from the prefent reading of this claufe. Hou
bigant's corredlion of the paflage, by reading, in--
ftead of VUnai, Tpyo, fand a tender cion,) which is
not very unlike it, (perhaps better pJT"!, with which
the adjedlive *]"i will agree without alteration,) is in
genious and probable ; and I have adopted it in the
above tranflation.
6. they are filled with diviners — ^] Heb. They
are filled from the Eaft; or, more than the Eaft. The
fentence is manifeftly imperfedl. The lxx, Vulg,
and Chaldee, feem to have read DipM ; and the
latter, with another word before it fignifying idols:
they are filled with idgk as from pf ^ old. Houbigant
for m[5D reads DDpD, as Brentius had propofed long,
ago. I rather think, that both words together
give us the true reading : DljPn DDpD, with divina
tion from the Eaft; and that the firfl word has been
by miftake omitted, from its fimilitude to the fe
cond. 3 Ibid.

CHAP.II. ISAIAH. , 3t
Ibid. And they multiply—] Seven mss and one
Edition Tead Ip^SDV " Read IITSID^ : and have joined
themfelves to the children tf ftrangers; that ia, in mar-
irage, or worfhip." . dr. jubb. So Vulg, adhafe
runt. Compare chap. xiv. i. But the very learned '
profeffor Chevalier Michaelis has explained the word
inSDS Job, xxx. 7. (German tranflation, note on
the place) in another manner ; which perfedlly well
agrees with that place, and perhaps will be found to
give as good a fenfe here. rfSD, the noun, means
corn fpringing up, not from the feed regularly fawn
on cult;^'ated land, but in the untiUed field, from
the fcattered grains of the fornier harveft. This,
by an eafy metaphor, is applied to a fpurious brood
of children irregularly and cafually begotten. The
i,xx feem to have underftood the verb here in this
fenfe, reading it as Vulg. feems to have done : this
juftifies .their verfion, which it is hard to account
for in any other manner : nai tsma •uso'KKct aT^KcpvKx
tysvyj9Yi civioig. Compare Hofea,, v. 7, and lxx
there. 7. And his land is filled with horfes] This was
in diredl contradidlion to God's command in the
Law : " But he [the king] fhall not multiply horfes
*' to himfelf; nor caufe the people to return to
" Egypt, to the end that he fhould multiply horfes:
«' — neither fhall he greatly multiply to himfelf fil-
" ver and gold." Deut. xvn. 16, 17. Uzziah
feems to have followed the example of Solomon,
(fee I Kings x. 26—29) who firft tranfereffed in
thefe particulars : he recovered the Port of Elath on
¦the Red Sea, and with it that commerce, which, in
Sblomon's days, had " made filver and gold as
.-" plenteous at Jerufalem as ftones:" 2 Chron. i. 15.
,He had an army of 307,500 men ; in which, as we
may infer from this teftimony of Ifaiah, the chariots
and horfe made a confiderable part. " The law
" above

3* NOTES OS- CHAP. II*
*' above mentioned was to be a ftanding trial of
" prince and people,.' whether they' had triift and
" confidence in God their deliverer." See Bp. Sher
lock's Dlfcourfes. on Prophecy, Differt. iv. where
he has excellently explained the reafon and effedl of
the law, arid the infiuence which the obfervanee or
negledl of it had on the affairs ofthe Ifraelites.
8. And his harid is filled with idols] Uzziah and
Jotham are both faid, (2 Kings x v. 3, 4. and. 34,
3 5.) ".to Iiave dqne that which was' right in the
" fight of the Lord;" (that is, to, have adhered to^
and maintained, the legal worfhip of God, in op
pofition, to idolatry, and all irregular worfhip; fbr
to this fenfe the meaning of that phrafe is commonly
to be reftrained;) " fave that the high places were
" riot renioved, where the people ftill facrificed and
*' burned incenfe." There was hardly any time,
when they were quite free from this irregular
and unlawful pradlice; which they feem to have
looked upon as very confiftent with the. true worfhip
of God ; and which feems in fome meafure to. ha-ve
been tolerated,while the Tabernacle was removed from
place to place, and before the Temple was built.
Even after the converfion of Manaffeh, when he fiad
removed th^ ftrange gOds, and commanded Judah'
to ferve Jehovah the God of Ifrael; it is added,
*' Never therlefs the people did facrifice ftill on the
** high places, yet unto jehovah their God only.'*
2 Chron. xxxin. 17. The worfhiping on the high
places therefore does not neceffarily imply idolatry :
and from what is faM of thefe two kings, Uzziah
and Jotham, we may prefume, tliat the public ex
ercife of idolatrous worfhip was not permitted in
their time. The idols therefore here fpoken of muft
have been fuch as were defigned for a private and
fecret ufe. Such probably were the Teraphim fo
often mentioned in Scriptui'e ; a kind of houfehold

tkAp. in tsAiAH. 33
gods, of human form, as it fhould feem, (fee Sam.
XIX. 13. and compare Gen. xxxi. 34.) of different
riiagnitude, ufed for idolatrous and fuperftitious
purpofes ; particulariy for divination, and as oracles,
which they confulted for diredlion in their affairs. '
9. • — fhaU he bowed down] This has reference
to the preceding verfe : they bowed themfelves down
to their idols ; therefore fhaU they be bowed down
and brought low under the avenging hand of God.
10. VV^hen he arifeth to ftrike the earth with ter
ror.] On the authority of lxx, confirmed by th'e
Arabic, and an Antient ms, I' have here adde4 to
the text a fine,' which in the 19th and 21ft verfes is
repeated together with the preceding line, and has,
I think, evidently been omitted by miflake in this
place. The ms here varies only in one letter from
the reading ofthe other two verfes : it has yii*i in
ftead of Y"IJ<n. .
II. —be humbled] " For ntyi bW, read ^bB¦&
"nty.", DR. DURELL. Wluch redlitits the Gram^
matical Conftrudlion.
13—16. Even agairift all the cedars — ] Thefe
verfes afford us a ftriking example of that peculiar
way of writing, which makes a principal charadle
riftic bf the parabolical or poetical ftyle of the He
brews, and in wliic'\ their prophets deal fo largely :
narnely, their manner of exhibiting ti::rgs divine, fpi
ritual, moral, and political, by a fet of images taken
from things natural, artificial, religious,, hiftorical;
in the way of metaphor or allegory. Of thefe na
ture, furnifhes much the largeft, and the moft plea
fing fhare ; and all poetry has chiefly recourfe to na
tural images, as the richeft and moft powerful fource
of illuftration. But it may be obferved of the He
brew poetry in particular, that in the ufe of fuch
ifnages, and in the application of them in the way
of illuflration or ornament, it is more regular and
VOL. n. B conftant

54 NOTES oif I €HAP. IE.
conftant than any other poetry whate-Ver ; that it has-,
for the moft part, a fet of images appropriated in a'
manner to the explication of certain fubjedls. Thus
you will find, in many other places , befide this be
fore us, that cedars of Libanus and oajcs of Bafan
are ufed, in the way of metaphor and allegory, for
kings, princes, potentates, of the higheft rank ; high
mountains and lofty hills, for kingdoms, republics,
ftates, cities ; towers and fortreffes, for defenders
and protedlors, whether by counfel or by ftrength,
in peace or war ; fhips of Tarfhifh, and works of
art and invention employed in adorning them, for
merchants, meri enriched by commerce, and abound
ing in all the luxuries and elegancies of life ; fuch as
thofe of Tyre and Sidon ; for it appears from the
courfe ofthe whole paffage, and from the train of
ideas, that the fortreffes and the fhips. are to be
taken metaphorically, as well as the high trees and
the lofty mountains.
Ships of Tarfhifh are in Scripture frequently ufed
by a metonymy for fhips in general, efpecially fuch
as are employed in carrying on traffic between diftant
countries ; as Tarfhifh was the moft celebrated mart
of thofe times, frequented of old by the Phenicians,
and the principal fource of wealth to Judea and the
neighbouring countries. The learned feem now to
be perfedlly well agreed, that Tarfhifh is Tarteffus,
a city of Spain, at the mouth of the river Bseotis ;
whence the Phenicians, who fitft opened this trade,
brought filver and gold, (Jer. x. 9. Ezek. xxvii.
12,.) in v.'hich that country then abounded; and
purfuing their voyage ftill further to the Caffiterides,
(Bochart. Canaan^ i. cap. 39. Huet, Hift. de Com
merce, p. 194.) the iflands of Scilly and Cornwal,
they brought from thence lead and tin.
Tarfhifli is celebrated in Scripture, (2 Chron. viii.
, 17, 18. IX. 21.) for the trade which Solomon car ried

.CHA^. II. ISAIAH. 35
ried on thither, in conjundlion with the Tyrians.
Jehofaphat (i ,Kings xxn. 48. 2 Chron. xx. 36.)
attetripted afterward to renew that trade ; and from
the account given of his atterript it appears, that his
fleet was to fail from Eziongeber on. the Red- Sea :
they muft therefore -have defigned to fail round
Africa, as Solorhon's fleet probably had done before ;
(feeHeut, Hiftoire de Commerce, p. 32.) for it was
a three years voyage ; (2 Chron. ix. 21.)- and they
brought go'.i from Ophir, probably on the coaft of
Arabia, i! Her from Tartefliis, and ivory, apes, and
peacocks, from Africa. " TBIN, Afri; Africa, the
Roman termination, Africa tt-'a, ty''5y'^J^, fome city,
or country,' in Africa. So Chald. ju i Kings xxir.
49. where he renders tyti^in by npnBi^l; and com
pare 2 Chron. xx. 36. from whence it appears^ that
to go to Ophir and to Tarfhifh is one and the farne
thing." DR. JUBB. It is certain, that under Pha-^
raoh Necho, about two hundred years afterward,
this voyage was made by the Egyptians;- (Herodot;
IV. 42.) They failed from the Red Sea, and re-^
turned by the Mediterranean, and they performed
it in three years ; ju-ft the fame time that the voyage
iinder Solomon had taken up. It appears likewife
from Pliny, (Nat. Hift. 11. ,67.) that the paffage
round the Cape- of Good Hope was known and fre
quently pradlifed- before his time ; by Hanno the
Carthaginian, when Carthage was in its glory; by
one Eudoxus, in the tirne of Ptolemy Lathyrus king
of Egypt ; and Cselius Antipater, an hiftorian of
good credit, fomewhat earlier than Pliny, teftifi&s,
that he had feen a merchaht, who had made the
voyage frorri Gades to ^Ethiopia, The Portugufefe
under Vafco de Gama, near three hundred years"
ago, recovered, this navigation, after it had been in
termitted and loft for many centuries.
• - D 2 18.

3<5 NOTESON CHAP. II*
i^. — fhall difappear] The antient Verfions, ancJ
an Antient ms, read isbrv, plural.
19 — ^21. into caverns of rocks — ] The country
of Judea, beirig mountainous and rocky, is full of
caverns ; as it appears from the hiftory of David'i
perfecution under Saul. At Engedi, in particular,
there was a cave fb large, that David with fix hun
dred men hid themfelves in the fides of it ; and Saul
entered the -rriouth of the cave without, perceiving
that any one was there, (i- Sam. xxiv.) Jofephus
(Antiq. lib. xiv. cap. 15. and BeU. Jud. lib. i. cap.
16.) tells us of a numerous gang of banditti, who,
having infefted the country, and being purfued by
Herod with his army, retired into certain casverns,
almoft inacc^ble, near Arbela in . Gafilee, where
they were with great difficulty fubdued. Some of
thefe were natural, others artificial. "Beyond Da-
" mafcus, (fays Strabo, lib. xvi.) are two moun-
" tains calle-d - Trachones ; [ffom which the country
" has the name of Trachonitis:] and from hence,
" towards Arabia, and Iturea, are certain rugged
" mountains, in which there are deep caverns; one
" of which will hold four thoufand men." Taver
nier (Voyage de Perfe, part 11. ch. 4.) fpeaks of a
grot, between, Aleppo and Bir, that would hold near
three thoufand horfe. " Three hours diftant from
"" Sidon, about a mile from the fea, tliere runs along
'' a high rocky mountain ; in the fides of which are
" hewn a multitude of grots, all very little differing
" from each other. They have entrances about twa
*' foot fquare ; on the infide you find in moft or all '
*' of them a room of about four yards fquare. There
^' are of thefe fubterrarieou? caverns two huridred in
*'. number. It may, with probability at^leaft, be
*' concluded that thefe places were contrived for-
*' the ufe ofthe living, and not of the dead. Stra-
*' bo defcribes the habitations of the Troglodytae to
" have

CHAP. ir. ISAIAH. 37
*' have been fomewhat of this kind." Maundrell,
p. 1 1 8. The Horites, who dwelt in Mount Seir,
were Troglodytes, as their name onn imports. But
thofe mentioned by Strabo were on each fide pf the
Arabian gulph. Mohammed (Koran, chap. xv.
and XXVI.) fpeaks of a tribe of Arabians, the tribe
of Thamud, " who hewed houfes out of the moun-
" tains, to fecure themfelves." Thus, " becaufe .
" of the Midianites, the children of Ifrael made
*' them the deris which are in the mountains, and
*' caves, and flrong holds." (Judges, vi. 2.) To
thefe they betook themfelves for refuge in tim.es of
diftrefs, and hoftile invafion : ' ' When the men
*' of Ifrael faw that they were in a ftraight, (for the
*' people were diflreffed,) then the people did hide
" themfelves, in eaves, and in thickets, and in
" rocks, and in high places, and in pits." (i Sam.
XIII. 6. and fee, Jer. xli. 9.) Therefore " to enter
" into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of
" the earth," was to them'a very proper and fami
liar image to exprefs terror and confternation. The
prophet Hofea hath carried the fame image further,
and added great ftrength and fpirit to it : chap. x. 8.
^' They Ihall fay to the mountains, Cover us ;
" And to the hills. Fall on us."
Which image, together with thefe of Ifaiah,, is
adopted by the .fublime author of the Revelation,
(chap. VI. 15, 16.) who frequently borrows his
imagery from our prophet.
ao. — which they have made to .worfhip — ] The
word "6, for himfelf , is omitted by an ancient ms,
and -is unneceflary. It does not appear, that any
copy of LXX has it, except ms Pachom^ and ms i.
D. II. and. they have l«uTO/j, DH^, plural.
Ibid. — to the moles—] , They fliall carry tlieir
idols with them into the dark caverns, old ruins, or
D ^ ^' defo-

jS NOTES ON CHAP. II.
defolate places, to which' they fhall flee for refuge ;
and fo fhall give them up, and refinquifh them to
the filthy animals that frequent fuch places, and
have taken pofleffion of them as their proper ¦ habi
tation. ¦ BeUonius, Greaves, P. Lucas, arid many
other travellers, fpeak of bats of an enormous fize,
as inhabiting the Great Pyramid. See Harmer, Ob
ferv. vol. II. 455. Three mss exprefs ni"l913n, the
»2o/f.f, as one word., . ¦ '

CHAP. III.
I. Every ftay and fupport. — '] Heb. " the fup
" port mafculine, and the fupport feminine :" that -
is, every kind of fupport, whether great or fmall,'
'ftrong or wealc, " Al kanitz, wal-kanitxah ; the
" wild beaft, male and female. Proverbially ap-:
" plied both to. fifhing and hunting: i. e. I feifed
" the prey, great or little, good or bad. From
" hence, as Schultens obferves, is explained, If. m.
" I. literally the male ani female flay: i. e. the
*f ftrong and weak, the great and fmall." Chapper;
low, note on Hariri, Aflembly i. Compare Eccles,
11. 8.
The two following verfes, 2, 3, .are very clearly
explained by the facred hiftOrian's account of the
event, the captivity of Jehoiachin by Nebuchadnez
zar king of Babylon : ' ^ And he carried away all Je-
" rufalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty
^' men of valour, even ten thoufand captives, and
*' all the craftiriienand fmiths : none remained, fave-
" the pooreft fort of the people of the land." 2 Kings
XXIV. 14.
4. I will make boys their princes—] This alfo was
fully accompliflied in the fucc'eflion of weak and v.ficked
princes, from the death of Jofiah to tlie deftrudlion
of the City and Temple, and the taking of Zekediah,
the Lift ol them, bv J>>ebuchadnezzar. ' "' '
 ¦ '  ¦' ' ,6. —of

(CHAP, in, ISAIAH. 39
6. — of his father's houfe.] For JT13, the an
tient Interpreters feem to have read /("nD: ts oitcius
ra 'urat^oQ exmis : lxx. domefticum patris fui :
Vulg. -which gives no good fenfe, (But lxx ms
I. D. II. for oMsm, has oikh.) And, his brother, of
his father's houfe, is little better than a tautology.
The cafe feems to require, that the man fhould ap
ply to a perfon of fome fort of rank and eminence ;
one that was the head of his father's houfe ; (fee Jofh.
XXII. 14.) whether ofthe houfe of him, who applies
to him, or of any other; vm nu li'Nl. I cannot
help fufpedling therefore, that the word fii'$r\ has
been loft out of the text.
Ibid. — faying — ] Before vb'Qt!, garment, two
MSS (one Antient) and the Babylonifh Talmud,
have the word "scinb : and fo lxx, Vulg. Syr. Chald.
I place it, with Houbigant, after JTj'aJJf.
Ibid. — take by the garment.] That is, fhall in
treat him in an humble and fupplicating manner.
*' Ten nicn fhall take hold ofthe fkirt of him that is
"a Jew ; faying : let us go with you ; for we have
" heard that God is with you." Zech. vin. 23.
And fo in Ifaiah, chap. iv. i. the fame gefhire is
ufed to exprefs earnefl and humble intreaty. The-
behaviour of Saul towards Samuel was of the fame
kind, when he laid hold on the fkirt of his raiment :
I Sam. XV-. 27. . Trie preceding and following verfes
fhew, that his whole deport-men^, in regard' to the
prophet, was full of fubmiffion and humility.
Ibid. And let thy hand fupport — ^] ' Before
HT .nnn a ms adds •rT'nn ; another ms adds in the
fame place 'fT^ xy^Ts, which latter feems to be a va
rious reading of the two preceding words, making a
very good fenfe ; " take into thy hand our ruinous
" flate." Twenty one mss, and'three Editions, and
the Bab}4onifh Talmud, have 'T'l*, 'plural.
7. Then fhall he openly declare — ^] The lxx,
Syr, and Jerom. read 'm''^, adding the Conjundlion 1
jyhich feems neceflary in this place.
D . 4 ' Ibid.

40 - NOTES ON CIIAP; III.
Ibid. Foi- in my houfe is neither bread nor rai
ment.] " It is cuftomary through all the Eaft, fays
" Sir J.' Chardin, to gather together an immenfe
" quantity of furniture and clothes ; for their fa-
¦" fhions never alter." Princes and great men are
obliged to have a great flock of fuch things in readir
nefs for prefents upon all occafions. "The kings
" of Perfia, fays the fame author, have, great ward-
¦" robes, where there are always many hundreds of
" habits ready, defigned for prefents,- and forted.''
Harmer, Obferv. n.' ii, and 88. A great quantity
of provifion for the table was- equally neceffary. The
daily provifion for Solomon's houfehold, whofe at
tendants were, exceedingly numerous, was proporT
¦tionably great, i Kings iv. 22, 23. Ev-en Nehe^
miah, in his ftrait circumftances, h.ad a large fup
ply daily for his table ; at which were received an
hundred and fifty qf the Jews and Rulers, befide
thofe that came" from among the neighbouring heaT
.thens. Neh. v. 17, 18.
This explains the meaning of the excufe made
by him, that is defired to undertake the govern
ment : he alleges, tl.at he has not wherewithal to
fupport the dignity of the ftation, by fuch acls of
liberality arid hofpitality, as the law of cuftom re
quired of perfons of fuperior rank. See Harmer'^^
Obfervations, i. 340. 11. 88.
8.— rthe cloud]' This word appears to be of
very doubtful form, from the printed Editions, the
MSS, and the antient Verfions. Tlie firft Jod in
»J''J?, which is neceffary according to the common
interpretation, is in many of them omitted : .the two
laft letters are upon a rafure in two mss. I think -jt
fhould be pj;, as the Syriac reads ; and that the al
lufion is to the Cloud, in which the glory of the
Lord appeared above the tabernacle ; fee Exod. x-vl,
9, 10. XL. 34—38. Numb. XVI. 41, 42.
- .. 10.

CHAP. lir. / ISAIAH. ¦ -41
10. Pronounce ye — ^] The reading of this verfe
is very dubious. The lxx for W^i^ read IDKJ ; or
- both, now iiD^ : and ^ib ma ab 12. Vwf.6£v rov h-
Mciov, , OTI lixrx^rigoi jj/a/v sgi. Perhaps, for nDK, the ¦
true reading may be TWH, blefs ye : or '^'Wii TnttK,
fay ye, bleffed is — Vulg. and an Antient ms read,
"in the fingular number, bDKS comedet.
1 2. Pervert] tj^l, fwallozv. Among many un
fatisfadlory methods of accounting for the unufual
meaning of this word, in this place, I choofe Jarchi's
explication, as making the beft fenfe.' " Read l^bll,
'^' confound. Syr." dr. jubb. " Read "i^na, difturb,
*' or trouble." secker. So lxx.
13. — his people] ^'0V, lxx.
14. — my vineyard] ¦'013, lxx, Chald. Jerom.
15. And grind the faCes] The expreffion and
the image is ftrorig, to denote grievous oppreffion;
]3ut is exceeded by the prophet Micah :
" Hear, 1 pray you, ye chiefs of Jacob ;
" And ye princes of the houfe of Ifrael ;
?' Is it not yours to know what is right?
'' Ye that bate good, and love evil:
" Who tear their fkin from off them;
" And their flefh from off their bones :
„ ^' Who devour the flefh of my people ;
" And flayfrom off them their fkin :
" And their bones they dafh in pieces ;
" And chop them afunder, as morfels for the pot;
*' And as flefh thrown into the midft ofthe cauldron."
Micah, IU. 1—3.
In the laft line but one, for 'Wa'2, read, by the
. tranfpofition of a letter, "iJ^tt^O, with the lxx, and
.phald. 16. And falfely fetting off their eyes with paint]
Heb. falfifying their eyes. I take this to be the true
jcneaningand literal rendering ofthe word; fromlpB^.
The

42- KOTES OiV CHAP. III.
The Maforetes have pointed it, as if it were from
*1pj!^, a different word. This arofe, as I imagine,
from, their fuppofing, that the word was the fame
with ipD, Chald. intueri, innuere oculis; or that it
had an affinity with the noun N^p^D, which the Chal
deans, or the Rabbins at leaft, ufe for ftibium, the
mineral which was commonly ufed, in colouring the
eyes. See Jarchi's Comment on the place. Though
the colouring of the eyes with ftibium be not parti
cularly here expreffed, yet I fuppofe_it to be implied;
and fo the Chaldee paraphrafe explains it; " ftibio
*' linitis oculis." This fafhion feems to have pre
vailed very generally among the Eaftern people in
antient times ; and they retain the very fame to
this day.
Pietro della Valle, giving a defcription of his
wife, an Affyrian lady, born in Mefopotamia, and
educated at Baghdad, whom he married in that
country, (Viaggi Tom. i. Lettera 17.) fays, " Her
*' eye-lafhes, which are long, and, according to,
" the cuftom of the Eaft, dreffed with ftibium, (as
" we often read in-the holy fcriptures of the Hebrew
" woriien of old, (Jer. iv. 30. Ezek. xxin. 40.)
" and in Xenophon pf Aftyages the grandfather of
" Cyrus, and ofthe Medes of that time, Cyropasd.
" Lib. I.) give, a dark, and at the fame time a ma-
*' jeftic fhade to the eyes." " Great eyes, (fays
" Sandys, Travels, p. 67, fpeaking of the Turkifh
" women,) they have in principal repute ; and of
" thpfe the blacker they be, the more amiable: in-r
" fomuch that they put between the eye -lids and the
" eye a certain black powder, with a firie long pencil,'
*' made of a rnineral, brought from the kingdom of
" Fez, and called Alcohole; which by the not ,difaT
"greeable ftaining of the lids doth better ¦ fe|: fortl^
" the wliitenefs of the eye ; ancl though it be trou-
" blefome for a time, yet i^ comforteth the fight.

CHAP. III. ISAIAH. 43,
" and repelleth. iU humours." " Vis ejus [ftibii]
" aftringere ac refrigerare, principalis autem circa
"oculos; namque ideo etiam plerique Platyoph-
" -thalmon id appellavere, quoniam in calliblepharis
" mulierum dilatat oculos ; & fluxiones inhibet
" oculorum exulcerationefque." Plin. Nat. Hift.
XXXIII. 6.
" Ille fupercilium madida fuligine tinftum
" Obliqua producit acu, pingitque trementes
" Attollens oculos." Juv. Sat. 11. 92.
" But none of thofe [Moorifh] ladies, fays Dr.
" Shaw (Travels, p. 294, fol.) take themfelves to
" be completely drefled, till they have tinged the
" hair and edges of their eye-lids with Al-kahol, the
" powder of liead Ore. This operation is performed
".by dipping firft into the powder a fmaU wooden
" bodkin of the thicknefs of a quill, and then draw-
" ing it afterwards through the eye-lids, over, the
" ball of the eye." Ezekiel (xxm. 40.) ufes the
fame word in the form of a verb, yy')} JibnD, "thou
" didft drefs thine eyes with Al-cahol -f which the
LXX render sgi^i^n lag o'^^cxKiiiig ins, " thou didft
" drefs thine eyes with ftibium ;" juft as they do^
when fhe word "^13 is employed : (compare 2 Kings
IX. '2,0: Jer. IV. 30.) they fuppofed therefore, that
"J1D and ^TTD, or, in the Arabic form, Al-cahol,
meant the fame thing ; and probabiy the mineral
ufed of old, for this purpofe, was the fame that is
nfed now; which Dr. Shaw, (ibid, note,) fays, is
" a rich l,ead ore, pounded into an impalpable pow-
" der." Alcohnlddos; the word rmpt^D, in this place,
is thus rendered in an old Spanifh tranflation. Sanc
tius. See alfb RuflTeli's Nat. Hift. of AleppP,^ p. 102.
The following inventory, as one may call it, of
the wardrobe of a Hebrew lady, muft, from its anti
quity, .and from the nature of the fubjedl, haye been
¦  yery

44 NOTfiSOK CHAP. IIS.
very obfcure, even to the moft antient interpreters,
which we have of it; and, from its obfcurity, muft
have been alfo peculiarly liable to the miftakes of
tranfcribers: however, it is father matter ¦ of _ curio
fity than of importance ; and indeed it is, upon, the
whole,, more int^lfigible, and lefs corrupted, than
one might have reafonably' expedled. Qemens Alex
andrinus (Psedi^. lib. II. cap. 12.) and Julius Pol
lux (fib. vn. cap. 22.).have each of them preferved,
from a cOmedy of Ariftophanes, now loft, a fimilar
catalogue of the feveral parts of the drefs and orna
ments of a Grecian lady ; which though much more
dapabfe of illuftration from other writers, though of
later date, and quoted and tranfmitted down to'uS
by two different authors ; yet feems to be much lefs
iitdligible,- and confiderably more corrupted, than
this paflage. of Ifaiah, Salmafius has endeavom-ed,
by comparing the two quotations, and by much cri
tical conjedlure and learned difquifition, to reftore
the true reading, and to explain the particulars ; witii
tshat fuccefs, I leave to the determination of the
learned reader, whofe curiofity fhall lead -him to
compare the paflage of the Comedian \vith this of
the 'Prophet, and to examine the Critic's learned la
bours upon it. , Exercit. Plinian. p. 1 148 ; or fee
Clem. Alex, as cited above. Edit. Potter, where the
paffage as corredled by Salmafius is given.
Nich. Guil. Schroederus, profeffor of Oriental
languages in the univerfity of Marpurg;, has pub
lifhed a very learned and judicious treatife upori this
paflage of Ifaiah. The title of it is, " Commenta-
*' rius Philologico-Criticus De Veftitu Mulierum
*' HebrEearum ad lefai. in. v. 16--24. Lugd. Bat.
*' 1745" 4to. As I think no one has handled, this
fubjedl with fo much judgement and ability as this
author, I have for the moft part followed him, in
giving the explanation of the feveral terms- denoting the

CHAP- III, ISAIAH, 4J
the different parts of drefs, of which tliis pa-fl^age
confifts ; fignifying the reafons of my diflent, , whefc
he does not give me full fatisfadlion-
17. — -will the Lord Humble — ] ix'tteivootu, lxx 5
and fo Syr. and Chald. For TSip they read bw.
¦ Ibid. ' — expofe their nakednefs] It was the bar
barous cuftom of the Conquerors of thofe times ta
ftrip theif captives naked, and to make them travel
in tiiat condition, expofe^ to the inclemency of the
weather; and, the -worft of all, to the intolerable
heat of the fun. But this to i;he women was the
hightii of cruelty and indignity; and efpecially to
fuch as thofe here defcribed, who had indulged
themfelves in all manner of delicacies of living, and
all the fuperfluities of ornamental drefs ; and even
whofe faces had hardly ever been expofed to the
fight of man. This is always • mentioned as the
hardeft part of the lot of captives. Nahum, de
nouncing the fate of Niniveh, paints it in very ftrong
colours :
,*' Behold, I am againft thee, faith jehovah God of'
" Hofls :
*' And I will difcover thy fkirts upon thy face ;
*' And I will expofe thy nakednefs to the nationis j
** And to the kingdoms thy fhame.
" And 1 will throw ordures upon thee ;
" And I will make thee vile, and fet thee -as a gazing
"ftock." Nahum, xii. 5,6.
18. — the ornaments of the feet-rings — ] The
late learned Dr. Hunt, profeffor of Hebrew and
Arabic in the univerfity of Oxford, has very. well
explained the word DDV, both verb and noun, in hii
very ingenious Differtation on Prov. vn. 22^ 23.
The verb means to fkip, to bound, to dance along ;
and the noun, thofe ornaments of the feet, which
the Eaftern ladies wore;- chains, or rings, which
made a tinkling found as they moved nimbly in walk ing.

46 NO'TEfedif fciiAP, iin
ing. Eugerie Roger, Defcription de la Terre Sairitfe', ,
liv. n. chap. 2.. fpeaking of the Arabian women of
the firft rank, in Paleftine, fays, " Au lieu de braffe^
-" lets elles ont de menottes d'argent, qu'elles por-
" tent aux poignets & aux pieds ; ou font attachez
*' quantite de petits annelets d'afgent, qui font un
*' eliquetis comme d'une cymbale, lorfqu'elles che-
" minent ou fe mouVent quelque peu." See Dr.
Hunt's Differtation ; where he produces other tefti
monies to the fame purpofe from authors of Travels.
Ibid.. — ^the riet- works] I am obliged to differ
from the learned Schroederus," almoft at firft fetting
out : he renders the word D^DUty by foUculi, little
ornaments, . bullae, or fbids, in fhape rcprefenting
the, fun, and fo anfwering to the following word
D''3inii^, lunula, crefcents. He fuppofes the word to
be the fame with D''tt'''Dti>, the * in the fecond fyfia-
ble m-aking the word diminutive, and the letter 0
being changed for 3, a letter of the farne orgari.
How juft and well-founded his authorities for the
tranfmutation of thefe letters in the Arabic lariguage
are, I cannot pretend to judge; but,, as I know of
no fuch inftance in Hebrew, it feems to me a very
forced etymology. Being diffatisfied with this .ac
count of the matter, I applied to my good friend
abovementioned, the late Dr. Hunt, who very kindly
returned the following arifwer to my inquiries :
" I have confulted the Arabic Lexicons, as well ms
" as printed, but cannot finda'DUty in any of them,
" nor any thing belonging to it. So. that no help is
" to be had from that language towards clearing up ,
" the meaning of this difficult word. But what the
" Arabic denies, the Syriac perhaps may afford; in
" which I find the verb ^"yu to entangle, or inter-
" weave, an etymology which is equally fa^^ourable
" to our marginal tranflation, net-works, with '^I'i),
" to make chequer-work, or emhr older, (the word by
2, <-<¦ which*

CHAP. in. ISAlAHi 4jr.
*' which Kimchi and others have explained D''lty,)
" and has moreover this advantage oyer it, that the
" letters ty and D are very frequently put for each
" other, but :j and D fcarce ever. Aben Ezra joins
" D''D^2ty and D^DDJ?, (which immediately precedes
" it,) together; and fays, that D^nty was the orna-
" ment of the legs, as DDJ^ was of the feet. His words
" are, ¦ubT\ bv D3y IDD w\mb^ mtf^n Diliy"
21. The jewels of the noftril — ~\ rjj^ri '')3W.
Schroederus explains this, as many 'others do, of
jewels, or ftrings of pearl, hanging from the fore
head, and reaching to the upper part of the nofe.
But it appears from many paffages of Holy Scripture,
that the phrafe is to be literally and properly under
ftood of Nofe -jewels, rings fet with jewels, hanging
from the noftrils, as ear-rings from the ears, by holes
bored to receive them.
Ezekiel, enumerating the common ornaments') of
women of the firft rank, has not omitted this parti
cular, and is to be underftood in the fame manner :
shap. XVI. II, 12. (See alfo Gen. xxiv. 47.)
" And I decked thee with ornaments ;
" Aiid I put bracelets upon thine hands,
" And a chain on thy neck :
",And I put a jewel on thy nofe^
" And ear-ring.s on thine ears,
" And a fplendid crown upon thine head."
And in an elegant proverb of Solomon there is a
manifeft ' allufion tp this kind of ornament, which
fliews it to have been ufed in his time :
/
" As a jewel in gold in the fnout of a fwine;
" So is a woman beautiful, but wanting difcretion." Prov. XI. 22.
This fafhion, however ftrange it may appear to us,
was formerly, and is ftill, comm.on in many parts of
the Eaft, among women of all ranks. Paul Lucas,
fpeaking

4.8 NOTrs OW cHAP^ in.
fpeaking of a village, or clan, of wandering people,
a little'on this fide of the Euphrates ; " The women,
"= fays he, (iid Voyage du Levant, tom. i. art. 24.)
almoft all of them travel on foot ; I faw none hand
fome among them. They have -almoft aU of them
the nofe bored, and wear in it a great ring, which
makes them ftill more deformed." But in regard to
this cuftom, better authority cannot .'be produced',
than that of Pietro della Valle, in the account which
he gives of the lady beforementioried, Signora Maani
Gioerida, his own wife. The defcription of her
drefs, as to the ornamental parts of it, with which
he introduces the mention of this particular, will
give us fome notion ofthe tafte ofthe Eaftern ladies
for finery. " The ornaments of gold, and of jewels,
for the head, for the neck, for the arms, for the
legs, and for the feet, (for they wear rings even on
their toes) are indeed, unlike thofe of the Turks,
carried to great excefs; but not of great value : for
in Baghdad jewels of high price either are not to be
had, or are" not ufed ; and they wear fuch only as
are of litde value ;. as turquoifes, fmall rubies, eme
ralds, carbuncles, garnets, pearls, and the like.
My fpoufe dreffes herfelf with all of them according
to their fafhion ; with exception however of certain
ugly rings of very large fize, fet with jewels, which
in truth very abfurdly, it is the cuftom to wear faf
tened to one of their noftrils, like buffalos : an an
tient cuftom however in the Eafl, which, as we find
in the Holy Scriptures, prevailed among the Hebrew
ladies even in the time of Solomon. (Prov. xi, 22.)
Thefe Nofe-rings in complaifance to me fhe~^has feft
off: but I have not yet been able to prevail with her
coufin and her fifters to do the fame : fo fond are
they of an old cuftom, be it ever fo abfurd, who
have been long habituated to it." Viaggi, Tom. i.
Lett. 17. . ' -
3 Q.3. The

CHAP, tit: ¦ i S A I A H. 49-
23. The tranfparent garments- — ] ESW^Jh, t«
dioe^uvn KaxMvixoc, LXX. A kind of filken drefs^
tranfparent, like gauze ; worn only by the' moft de
licate women, and fuch as drefled themfelves " ele-
gantius, quam neceffe effet- probis.'' This fort of
garments was afterwards in ufe among the Greeks.
Prodicus, in his celebrated Fable (Xenoph; Memo^
rab. Socr. Lib. n.) exhibits the perfonage of Sloth
in this drefs : icrdtiTcn §.=, s^ jjV «y pMKn^oi upcx hoi^
7^^7101. Her robe betray'd
^ Through the clear texture every tender limb,
Highth'ning the charms it only feem'd to fhade;
And as it flow'd adown fo loofe and thin,
Her flatuje fhew'd more tall, more fnowy white Iief
fkin.
They were called Multitia, and Coa (fc. veftirnerita)
by the Rotrians, from" their being invented, or ra-"
ther introduced into Greece, by one Pamphila of
the ifland qf Cos. This, 'like other Grecian fafhions,
was received at Rome, when luxury began to prevail
under the Emperors ; it was fometimes worn evert
by the men, but looked upon as a mark of extreme
effemiH^cy: (fee Juvenal Sat. 1 1 . 65, &c.) Publius
Syrus, who liverl when the fafhion was firft intro
duced, has given a huinourous fatirical defcription'
of it in two lines, which by chance have been pre-i
ferved : , v
" ..-^^quum eft, induere nuptam ventum textilem ?
" Palam proftare nudam in nebula linea?''
24. Inftead of perfume- — ¦]• A principal part of
the deficacy of the Afiatic ladies confifts in the ufe
of baths, and of the richeft oils and perfumes : an
'attention to wliich is, in fome degree, neceffary in
thofe hot countries. Frequent mention is made of
VOL. II. E the

50 NOTES OW CHAP. III.
the rich ointments of the Spoufe in the Song of So
lomon :
*' Hovy beautiful are thy breafts, my fifler, my fpoufe !
" How much more excellent than wine ;
" And the odour of tiiine ointments than all perfumes !
" Thy lips drop as the honey-comb, my fpoufe t
, " Honey and millc are under thy tongue :
" And the odour of thy garments is as the odour of
" Lebanon." Cant. iv. lo, ii.
The preparation for Efther's being introduced to
king Ahafuerus was a courfe of bathing and per
fuming for a whole year; " Six irionths with -oil of
riiyrrhe, and fix months ' with fweet odours." Efth.
II. 12. A dlfeafed and loathfome habit of body,
inftead of a beautiful fkin, foftened and made agree
able with all that Art could devife, and all that Na
ture^ fo prodigal in thofe countries of the richeft per
fumes, could fupply, muft have been a punifhment
the moft fevere, and the moft mortifying to the de
licacy of thefe haughty daughters of Sion.
Ibid. A fun-burnt fkin — -J Gafpar Sandlius thinks
the words Jinn O an interpolation, becaufe the Vul
gate has omitted them. The claufe — ^EJV /in/T D
feems to me rather to be imperfedl at the end. Not
to mention, that >3, taken as a noun, for aduftio,
burning, is without example, and very improbable ;
the pa'flage ends abruptly, and feems to want a fuller
conclufion. In agreement with which opinion of the defedl of
the Hebrew text in this place, the lxx, according
to MSS Pachom. and i. D. n., and, Marchal. which
are of the beft authority, exprefs it with the fame
evident marks of imperfedlion at the end of the fen
tence ; thus, tofxiTO, (TOI oiVTi Koi>iXui7i:ia-jxsi — The two
latter add a-s. This chafm in the text, from tha lofs
probably-of three or four words, feems therefore to
be of long ftanding. Taking

CHAP. III. ISAIAH. 5;J
Taking o in its ufual fenfe, as a particle, and
fupplying ^b from a-oi Of the lxx, it might poffibly
have been originally fomewhat in this form :
: rT«")a rm T? min ^b^ nnn o
*'' Yea, inftead of beauty, thou fhalt have an ill-favoured
" countenance."
^B'' nrrn ""a [q. nn'] "for heauty ftall be deftroyed.'^
Syr. from nnn, or nnJ. Dr.. Durell.
" May it not be M3, " wrinkles inftead of beau
ty ?" as from nB"" is formed 'D'' ; from' ma, na, &C.
fo from nn3, to be wrinkled, *n3." f^K. JuBp.
25. thy mighty men — ] For ¦]mU3, an Antient
MS has *|~n2J. The true reading from lxx, Vulg.
Syr. Chald. feems to be *im3J.
26. — fit on the ground. Sitting on the ground
was a pofture that denoted mourning and deep dif
trefs. The prophet Jeremriah has given it the firft
place among many indications of forrow in the fol
lowing elegant defcription of the fame ftate of diftrefs
of his country :
" The elders ofthe daughter of Sion fit on the ground,
" they are filent :
"They have caft up duft on their heads; they have
" girded themfelves with lackcloth : ;
*' The virgins of Jerufalem have bowed down their
'¦ heads to the ground." Lam. 11. 8.
" We find Judea, fays Pvlr. Addifon, (On Medals,
Dial. II.) on feveral coins of "Vefpafian and Titus,.
in a pofture that denotes forrow and captivity. — I
need not mention her fitting dn the ground, becaufe
we have already fpoken of the aptnefs of fuch a pof
ture .to reprefent an extreme afflidlion. I fancy the
Romans might have an eye on the cuftoms of the
Jev/ifh nation, as well as thofe of their "country, in
the feveral marks of forrow they have fet on this
JE 2 figure,

5^ KOTES ON CHAP. lit.
figure.' The Pfalmift defcribes the Jews lamenting
their captivity in the fame penfive pofture. " By
the waters -of Babylon we fat down and wept, when
we remembered thee, O Sion." But what is 'more
remarkable, we find Judea reiprefented aS a woman
in forrow fitting on the ground, in a paffage of the
Prophet, that foretels the very captivity recorded on
'this rriedal." Mr. Addifon, I prefume, refers to
this place of Ifaiah ; and therefore muft have under-
-ftood it as foretelling the deftrudlion of Jerufalem
and the Jewifh nation by the Romans : whereas it
feems plainly to relate, in its firft and more imme
diate view at leaft, tp the deftrudlion of the city by
.Nebuchadriezzar, and the diffolution of the Jewifh
ftate under the captivity at Babylon.

«*¦

CHAP. IV.

I. And feven women — ] THE divifion of the
chapters has interrupted the Prophet's difcourfe, and
broken it off almofl in the midft of the fentence.
," The numbers flain in battie fhall be fo great, that
feven woriien fhall be left to one. man." The Pro-
•phet has defcribed the greatnefs of this diflrefs by
images and adjundls the moft expreffive and forcible.
The young -women, contrary to their natural mo^
'defty, fhall become fuitors to the men: they will
take hold of them, and ufe the moft prefling impor
tunity to be married ; in fpight of the natural fug-
_geftions of jealoufy, they will be content with a
'fhare only of the rights of marriage in common with.,
feveral others; and that, on hard conditions, re
nouncing the legal demands of the wife on ti'ie huf
band, (fee Exod. xxi, lo.) and begging only th,e
name and credit of wedlock, arid ' to be freed l-^-orn tlic

CHAP. IV., ISAIAH.

53

the reproach of celibacy. (See chap. liv. 4, 5.)
Like Marcia, on aT different occafion, and in othei
circumftance^ : " Da tantum nomen inane
*' Connubii : liceat tumulo fcripfiffe, Catonis
"Marcia." Lucan. II. 342.
Ibid. — in that day — '] Thefe words are omitted;
in LXX. and ms.
Ibid. The Branch of Jehovah — ] The Meffiah
of JEHOVAH, fays the Chaldee. The Branch is an
appropriated tide of the Meffiah ; and the Fruit of
the land means the great Perfon to fpring from the
houfe of Judah, and is only a parallel^xpreffion fig
nifying the fame : or perhaps the bleffings confe
quent upon the redemption procured by him. Com
pare chap. XLV. 8. where the fame great event is fet
forth in fimilar images ; and fee the Note there.
Ibid. — the houfe of Ifrael.] A ms. has !?K"i2?i n^a.'
3. — written among the living.] That is, whofe
name ftands in the inrollment or regifter of the peo^-
pie ; or every man living, who is a citizen of Jeru-^
falerp. See Ezek. xni. 9. -w^here " they fh'all not
be written in the writing of the- houfe of Ifrael," is
the fame with what immediately goes before, " they
fhall not be in the affembly of my people." Com,;
pare Pf. lxxxvii. 6. lxix. 28. Exod. xxxn. 32.
To number and regifter the people was agreeable to
the law of Mofes, and probably -was always prac^
tifed ; being, in, found policy, ufeful and even ne
ceffary, David's defign qf nurnbering ' the people
was of another kind ; it was to inroll them for his
army. Michaelis, Mofaifches Recht', Part in. p;
227. fee alfo his Differt. de Cenfibus Hebr£eoru'm.
4. ", The fpirit of burning,"- means the fire of
God's wrath, by which he will prove arid. purify his
people^ gathering 'them into his furnace, in order
E 3 to

^4 NOTES ON CHAT?. IV.
to feparate the drofs firom the filver, the bad from
the good. The feverity of God's judgemerits, the
fiery trial of his fervants, Ezekiel, (ch. xxn. i8 —
22.) has fet forth at large, after his manner, with
great boldriefs of imagery and force of expreflaon.
God, threatens to gather them into the inidft Of Je
rufalem, as into the furnace ; to blow the fire upon
them, and to melt them. Malachi treats the fame
^vent under the like images :
**'But vffho may abide the day ofhis coming ?
- •' Aiid who fhall ftand when he appeareth?
" por he is like the fire ofthe refiner,
" And like the fope ofthe fullers.
" Arid he fhall fit refining and purifying the filver;
*• And he fhall purify the fous of Levi;
*' That they may be jehovah's, minifters,
•' Prefenting unto him aif offering in righteoufnefs."
' • "I- 2, 3.
s ¦ 5. — the ftation — "] The Hebrew text has, every
ftation; but four mss (one Antient) omit ^3 ; very
rightly, as it fhould feem : for the ftation was mount
Sion itlelf, and no other. See Exod. xv. 17. And
the LXX, and ms, add the farne word b3 before
^*K^pa, probably right: the word has only changed,
its piace by miftake. r^K^pa,"" the place where
they were gathered together in their holy -affemblies,''
fays Sal. b. Melec.
Ibid. A cloud by day — ] ', This' is a manifeft al
lufion to the pillar of a cloud and of fire, v.'hich at
tended the Ifraelites iri their paffage out of Egypt,
and to the glory that refled on the Tabernacled
5)xod. xni. 21. XL. 38. The prophet Zechariah
applies the fame image to the fame purpofe :
" And I will be unto her a wall, of fire round about ;
•* Aad a glory will I be in the midft of her." 11. g,
"""'¦"  '";:;- rphat
6; ¦ ;- •'

CHAP. IV. JSAIAH. 55
That is, the vifible prefence of God fhall protedl
her. Which expMris the conclufion of this verfe of
Ifaiah ; where %he Makkaph between ^3 and "ni3,
connedling the two words in conftrudlion, which
ought not to be connedled, has thrown an obfcurity
upon the fentence, and mifled moft of the tran
flators. 6. And a tabern^cle-rr] In countries fubjedl to
violent tempefts, as well as to intolerable heat, a
portable tent is a neceffary part of a traveller's bag
gage, for defence and Ifieltcr.

CHAP, V.
This chapter likewife ftgnds fingie and alone, un-
connedled with the preceding or following, The
¦fubjedl of it is nearly the fame with that of the firft
chapter. It is a general reproof of the Jews for their
wickednefs : but it exceeds that chapter in force, in
feverity, in variety, and elegance; and it adds a
more eXprefs declaratiqn of vengeance, by the Ba
bylonian invafion.
I. Let me now fing a fqngj A ms, refpedlable
for its antiquity, ajjds the word Tttt (a ftng) aftef,
N3 : which gives fo elegant a turn to the fentence by
the repetition of it in the next member, and by dif
tinguifhing the members fo exadlly in the flyle and
manner of the Hebrew poetical compofition, that I
am much inclined to think it genuine.
Ibid. A fong of lovsis] 'Tn, for pntT ; ftatus
conftruRus pro abfoluto,^ as the grammarians fay, as
Micah VI. i6. Lament, in. 14, and 66. fo Archbi
fhop Secker. Or rather, in all thefe and the like
cafes, a miftake of the tranfcribers, by not obferving
a fmil ftroke, which in many Mss is made to fup-
E 4 ply

^6 N©TES ON CHAP, y:
ply the D of the Plural, thus ''•in. O'lfl JITiy is
the fame with nTT TV, Pf xlv. i. In this -way
of underftanding it, we avoid the great' impropriety
of making the author of the fong, and the perfon
to wh0m it is addreffed, to be the fame. '
Ibid. On a high and fruitful hill] Heb., ^' on a
horn the fon pf oil." The expreffion is highly de-
fcriptive-and poetical. " He calls the land of Ifrael
a horn, becaufe it is higher than all larids ; "as the
horri is 'higher than the whole body': and the fon of
oil, becaufe it is faid to bfe a land flowing-wlth'.milk
and honey." Kimchi on the place. The parts of
animals are, by an eafy metaphor, applied to parts
of the earth, both jn common and poetical language.
A promontory is called a cape, or head ; the Turks
call it a riofe. " Dorfum immane, mari fumiriq :"
Vjrg. aback, or ridge of rocks. ¦ -- i- - :
; " Hanc la}:us anguftum jam fe qogpntis in arftum
T.'f Hefiieriae.^enuem producit in iseijuora linguam,
" Adriacas flexis claudit quae corm'laf-'undas."
Lucan. n. 612. of Brundufium., i., e. Bga-rsT/oy, which,
in the antient. language cf that country, fignifies
ftag's-head, fays Strabo. A horn, is a proper and
ofcvioris image fo'r a mountain, or mountainous
country. 'Solinus, cap> viii. fays, "Italiam, ubi
fengius proceflibrit, in cornua duo. fcindi :" that is,
t-he high ridge of the: Alps, which runs through the
whole length of it, divides at laft into two 'tidges.
One going through Calabria, the other through the
country of the .Bruttri. " Cornwall i.s called by the,-
'^inhabitants in.the Britifh tongue Kernaw, as lef-
'.*fening -by; degrees like a horn, running out into
'^ promontories like fp many horns,. For the Bri-
'^-tains. calla horn corw^ in the plural kern." Cam
den. " And Sammes is of opinion, that the coun- ,
" try had this, name originally from the Pheriicians,^
" who

CHAP. V. ISAIAH. 57
" who traded, hither for tin ; keren, in their lanr-
" guage, being a horn." Cribfonj,
Here the precife idea, feems to be that of a high
mountain, ftanding by itfelf; " vertex montis, aut
" pars montis ab afiis divifa;" -which fignification,
fays I. H. Michaelis, (Bibl" Hallens. Not. in. loc.)
the, word has in .Arabic. -'.-, f,.,; ,".,?
Judea was in general a monntainqus country ;
whence Mofes fometimes calls it, the Mountain :
" Thoii fhalt plant them, in the Mountain of;thine
" inheritance." Exod. xv. 17. " t pray- th#ei let
" me go over, and ffee the good land, that is beyond
^'Jordan; that gqodly Mountain, and. Lebanon."
Deut. in. 25. And in a political and, religious, view
it. was detached and feparated, from all the nations
round it. V/lipever has confidered the defcriptions
given qf mount Tabor, (fee Reland, Palaeftin. , Eu
gene Roger,. Terre Sainte, p. 64.) and the- views of
jt which are to be feen in books of travels, - (Maun
drell, p. 114. Egmont and Heyman, vol. 11. p. 25.
Thevenot, \o\. i. p. 429.) its regular conic formi
rifing fingly in a plain to a great highth, from a bale
fmall in proportion, its beauty and fertility to the
yery top,, will have a good idea of " a horn the, fon
" of oil;" and will perh;^s.;be induced to think,
that the Prophet took his image from that moun-
,tain. 2. and he cleared it from the 'ftones.] This was
^.greeable to the antient hufbandry : "Saxa, fumma
.^' parte terras,- & vites & arbores lasdunt; "ima parte,'
*.^ refrigerant." Columell. De Arb. 3. " Saxofum
" facile eft expedire ledlipne lapidum." Id. 11. ,2.
" Lapides, qui fuperfunt,. [ah inluper funt] hieme
',' rigent, aeftate fervefcunt; ideirep; fatis, arbuftis,
':' & vitibus nocent." Pallad. i. 6. A' piece of
' ground thus <;kared of the-ftpnes, Perfius, in his
"^ ¦ : . . hard

g5 NOTES ON .GHAP, V,
hard way of metaphor, caUs " Exoflktus ager."
Sat. VI, 52.
¦ ibid. Sorek.] Many of- the antient interpreters,
ixx, Aq. Theod. have retained this word as a pro
per name ; I tfiink, very rightly, Sorek was a valley
ijying between Afcalon and Gaza, and running far
upeaftward in the tribe of Judah. Bpth Afcalon
and Gaza were anciently famous for wine ; the for
mer is mentioned as fuch by Alexander Trallianus ;
*he latter by feveral authors : (quoted by Reland,
Palaeft. p. 589, and 986.) And it feems, that thfe
upper part of the valley of Sorek, and that of Efh
col, where the fpies gathered the fingie clufter of
'grapes, which they were obliged to bear between
two upon a ftaff, being both near to Hebron, were
in the fame neighbourhood ; and that all this part ctf
the country "abounded with rich -virieyards. Com-r
pare Num. xm. 22, 23.- Jud. xvi. 3, 4. P. Nai|
fuppofes Efhcol and Sorek to be only different
namei for the fame valley. Voyage nouveau de la
Terre Sainte, Liv. iv. chap. 18. So likewife De
Lifle's pofthumous map of the Holy Land. Paris,
1763. See Bochart, Hieroz. n. col. 725. Theve
not, I. p. 406. Michaelis, (note on Jud. xvi. 4.
perman tranflation,) thinks it probable, from fome
circumftances of the hiftory there given, that Sorek
was in the tribe of Judah, not in the country of the
Philiftjnes. The' viae of Sorek was known to the Ifraelites,
being mentioned by Mofes (0en. Xlix. ir.) before
their coming out of Egypt. ' Egypt was not a vsrine
country. " Throughout this country there are no
*''W-i-Hes." Sandys, p. loi. At leafl in very antient
times they had none. Herodotus, 11. 77. fays, it
had no vines ; and therefore ufed an artificial wine
riiade of barley:, that is not ftriiftly true; for the
vines of Egypt are fpoken of in Scripture, (Pf.
LXXVIII.

CHAP. V. ISAIAH.- ^9
LXXVIII. 47. cv. 33. and fee Gen. xl. ii. by
which it fhould feem, that they drank orily the frefh
juice prefled from the grape ; which was called cms
oijxTTsX.tvos. Herodot. 11. 37.) but they had no large
vineyards; nor was the Country proper for them,
being little more than one large plaip, annually over
flowed by the Nile. ' The Mareotic in later times is,
I think, the only celebrated Eg}ptian wine, which
we meet with in hiftory. The vine was formerly,
as Haffelquift tells us it is now, " cultivated in
" Egypt for the fake of eating the grapes, not for
" wme ; which is brought from Candia, &c." " They
" were fupplied with wine from Greece, and fike-
*' wife from Phenicia." Herodot. in. 6. The vine
and t,he wine of Spr^k therefore, which lay near - at
hand for importation into Egypt, "muft, in all pro
bability, have been well known , to the Ifraelites,
when they fojourned there. There is fomething re
markable in the manner in which Mofes makes
mention of it, which, fof- want of confidering this
matter, has' not been attended to : it ii in Jacob's
Prophecy of the future profperity of the tribe of
Judah :
" Binding.his fole to the vine,
•' And his affes colt to his own Sorek;
" He wafheth his raiment in wine, n
" And his cloak in the blood of grapes." Gen. xlix. ir,
I take the liberty of rendering npll^, for p"'ii?, hit
Sorek, as the Maforetes do of pointing, nT'i'j for
)-)% his fole. TV might naturally enough appear
in the feminiie form, but it is not at all probable
that p'\\if ever Tliould. By naming particularly the
vine of Sorek, and as the vine belonging to Judah,
the prophecy intimates the -very part of the country,
^'hich was to fall to the lot of that tribe. Sir John
"" ¦ ¦ - ¦ . Char-

6o NOTES ON CHAP. V.-
Chardin fays, " That at , Cafbin, a city of Perfia,
they. turn thieir catde into the' vineyards, after the
vintage, to broufe on the .vines. He, fpeaks alfo of
¦vines in that country, fo large, .that he could hardly
compafs the trunks of them vvith .his arms." Voy-
a,ges, tom. III. p. 12.. i2mo. This fhews, ; that the
afs might be fecurely bqund to the vine; and
without danger of damaging the, tree by^broufing
on it. . - \ ¦ ,
Ibid. And he built a tower in theiriidft of it.]
Our Saviour,' who has taken. the general idea of one
ofhis Parables (Matt. xxi. 33. .Mark,pXii. i.)
from this of Ifaiah, has likewife inferted this,, cir -
cumftance of building a tower; which is generally
explained by Commentators, as defigned^ for the
keeper of the. vineyard to watch and defend the
ffuits. But for this purpofe it was ufual to make a
little temporary hut (If. i. 8.) v/hich might ferve for
the fhort feafon while the frujt was ripening, and
which was removed afterwards. The tower there-r
fore fhould rather mean a building of a more per
manent nature ajid ufe ; the Farm, as we m.ay call it,
of the vineyard, containing all the offices and im
plements, and the whole apparatus, neceflary for
the culture of the, vineyard, and the making of the
¦ wine. To which image in the allegory, the fituatiqn,
the manner of building, the ufe, and the whole fer
vice, of the Temple "exadlly anfwered. And fo the
Chaldee Paraphraft very rightly expounds it: " Et
" ftttt-ui'eos (Ifraelitas) ut plantam vinese feledlae, '&
" aed-ificavi SdnSiuariwn meum in medio illorum."
So alfo Hieron. in loc. " JEdificavit quoque Turrim
" in medio ejus : Templum videlicet in media civi-
" -tate." That they have flill fuch towers, or build
ings, for ufe or pleafure, in their gardens in the
Eaft^ fee Harmer's Obfervations, II. p. 241. '-
 Ibid.

CHAP. V. ' Is Ai Att. 6t
Ibid. And hewed out a lake therein.] This image
alfo our" Saviour has preferved in his parable. 3p"»,
LXX render it, here ¦z^-poAjj^oj' ; and'in four other
places; moKrivwv , If. xvi. lo. Joel in. 13. Hagg.
II. 17. Zech. XIV. 10. I think, more properly:
and tills latter word St. Mark ufes. It rneans, not
the wine-prefs itfelf, or calcatorium, which is called
TU, ,or mis, but what the Romans called lacus, the
lake; the large open place, or veffel, which, by a
conduit, or fpbut, received the muft from the wine-
prefs. In very hot countries it was perhaps necef
fary, or at leaft very convenient, to have the lake
under ground, or in a cave hewed out of the fide of
the' rock, for coolnefs ; that the heat might not
>caufe too great a fermentation, and four the mufl.
" Vini confedlio inftituitur in cella, velintimee do
" mus camera quadam, a ventorum irigreffu remo-
" ta," Kempfer, of Schiras wine. Amcen. Exot.
p. 376. For the hot wind, to which that country
is fubjedl, would injure the wine. " The wine-
" preffes in Perfia, fays Sir John Chardin, are
' ' formed by making hollow places in the ground,
" lined with mafon's work." Harmer's Obferva
tions, f. p. 392. See a print of orie in Kempfer,
p. 377. Nonnus defcribes, at large, Bacchus hol
lowing the infide of a rock, and hewing out a place
for the wine-prefs, or rafher the lake :
Ka/ (TXOTTsT'iii eXtx'XJ'jvs' 'zss^oa'xoccpsog Si' cr/Sjjpsi
&yiytxKsyi yXsjoyjM 1^-^X9^ yjiiKriyoiTo, -sr^r^jyj'
Astyjvoig Sf JASTctiTra (2oi9vvoix£.vcov tavcoovcov
'A(ppov [f. axp'v ] siJg'ccliVAoto tvttov ¦z^or/jreiTO X^va.
He pierc'd the rpek'; add with the fharpen'd tool
Of fleel well-temper'd fcogp'd its inmoft depth :
', Then fmooth'd the front, and form'd, the dark recefs
In juft dinietifion for dje foaming lake." Dionyliac. lib. XII.
Ibid.

62, NOTES ON CHA?. V.
Ibid. iAnd he e*pedled — ^] Jeremiah ufes the
feme image, and applies it to the fame pufppfe, fn
an elegant paraphrafe of this part of Ifaiah's parable,
in hi$ flowing and plaintive manner :
" But I planted thee a Sorek, a cion perfeftly genuine :
*' How then art thou changed, and become to me the
" degenerate fhoots of the ftrange vinel" Chap. II. 2i»
Ibid, poifonous berrieS] CP^Ii^a, not merely
ufelefs, unprofitable grape?, fuch as Wild grapes ;
but grapes offenfive to the fmell, noxious, poifon
ous. By the force and intent of the allegory, to
good grapes ought to be oppofed fruit of a dangerous
and pernicious quality; as in the explication of it,
to judgement is oppofed tyranny, . and to righteouf
nefs oppreffion. pj, the vine, is a common name,
or genus, including feveral fpecies under it ; and
Mofes, to diftinguifh. the true vine, or that from
which wine is made, from the reft, calls it. Num..
Vi. 4. \>»n p3, the wine -vine. Some of the other
forts were of a poifonous quality ; as appears from
the ftory related aniong the miraculous adls of Eli
flia, 2 Kings IV. 39 — 41. "And one went out
*''into the field to gather pot-herbs ; and he found
" a field-vine : and he gathered from it wild fruit,
" his lapful ; and he went, and fhred them into the
" pot of pottage : for they knew them not. And
' ' they poured it out for the men to eat : and it came
" to 'pafs, as they were eaiting of the pottage, that
" they cried out, and faid; There is death in the
" pot, O man of God ! and they could not eat of it.
"And he faid, Bring meal; (leg. inp, nine mss,
" one Edition,) and he threw it into the pot. , yf\.nd
" he faid. Pour out for the people, that they may
" eat. , And there was nothing hurtful in the pot."
2 From

CHAP. V. ISAIAH* 63,
From fome fuch forts of poiforious fruits, of the
grape-kind, Mofes has taken thofe ftrong and
highly poetical images, with which he has fet forth
the future corruption and extreme degeneracy of the
Ifraelites, in an allegory which has a near relation,
both in its fubjedl and imagery, to this of Ifaiah :
" Their vine is from the vine of Sodom,
" And from the fields of Goqiorrah :
" Their gfapes are grapes of gall ;
*' Their clufters are bitter :
*' Their wine is the poifon of dragons,
" And the cruel venom of afpics." Deut. xxxn. 32, 33.
" I am inclined to believe, (fays Haffelquift,) that
" the prophet here (Ifaiah v. 2 and 4) means the
" hoary nightfhade, Solantim incanum ; becaufe it is
" common in Egypt, 'Paleftine, arid the Eaft; and
" the Arabian name agrees well with it. The Arabs
'* call it aneb el dib, i. e. wolf-grapes. The prophet
" could not have found a plant more oppofite to the
" vine than this; for it grows much in the vine-
' ' -yards, and is very pernicious to them ; wherefore
¦ ' ' they root it out : it likewife refembles a vine by
" its flirubby ftalk."- Travels, p. 289. See Mi
chaelis, Queftions aux Voyageurs Danois, N° 64.
3. — inhabitants] Ut^^, in the plural number;
three mss", (two Antient;) and fo likewife 'lxx and
Vulg. ' , _
6. — the thorn fhall fpring up in zV.] A ms has
T'Dti'2 ; the true reading, feems to be "V^V 13 : which
is confirmed by lxx, Syr. Vulg.
7.- And he looked for judgement — '] The 'Paro
nomafia, or play on the words, in this pkce, is very
remarkable ; mtjpat, mifpach ; zedukah, zeakah. There
are many examples ofit in the other Prophets; but
Ilaiah feems peculiarly fond ofit: fee chap. xni. 6.
XXIV. 17. XXVII. 7. XXXIII. I. LVll. 6. LXI. 3.
LXV-. J I, 12. The Rabbins efteem it a great beau ty:

64 ' NX)Tfe& ON CHAP. V.
> - i ¦
ty : th'eir tehn for it is \'\^bn Tlinjl^ *' elegance' of
" language." i ¦
Ibid. — tyrrannyj" nStt'tt, from n^tif, fervum fe
cit, Arab. Houbigant: nnSK?, is ferva, a handmaid,
or female flave. nsoa, eighteen mss.
8. Ypu who lay field—] Read nnph, in the
fecond perfon; to anfwer to the verb following; fo
Vulg. ' . "•'•
9. To mine ear — ] The fentence in the Hebrew '
text feems to be imiperfedl in this place ; as likewife
in chap. xxn. 14. where the very fame fenfe feems
to be required, as here. See the note there : and
compare I Sam. IX. 15. Inthis place lxx fupply
tlie word ifiaaT^Yj, and Syr. yDnt^'it, auditus eft je
hovah in auribus meis : i. e. n'?a3, as in chap.
XXII. 14.
9, 10. — many houfes — ] This has reference to
what was faid in the preceding verfe : " In vain are
" ye fp intent upon joining houfe to houfe, and
*' field to field ; your houfes fhall be left uninha-
" bited, and your fields fhall become - defolate and
" barren : fo that a vineyard of ten acres fliall pro-
'--'• duce but one Batli (not eight gallons) of wine,
" and the hufbaridman fhall reap but a tenth part of
" the feed which he has fown!"
II. —to follow ftrong drink] Theodoret and-
Chryfoftom on this place, both, Syrians, and unex--
ceptionable witneffes to what belongs to their own
country, inform us, that "I3!i?, (o-nu^cy. in the Greek
of both Teftaments, rendered by us by the general
term ftrong drink,) meant properly Palm-wine, oi:
Date-wine, which was and is ftill much in ufe in the
Eaftern Countries. Judea was famous for the abun-.
dance and excellence of- its Palm-treea; and confe
quently had plenty of this wine. " Fiunt (vina) &
" e. pomis :^ — primumque e palmis, quo Parthi & In- '
" di Utuntur, gc Oriens totus : maturarum mOdio iV
-" aquce

CHAP. V. ISA! As. 6^
" aqU£e congiis tribus maCerato expreffoque." Plin^
Xlv. 19. " Ab his cariota [palrriae] maxime cele-
" brantur; & cibo quidem, fed & fucco, uberrimae.
' '' Ex quibus prascipua vina Orienti ; iniqua capitis
" unde pomo nomen." Id. xm. 9. Kapog fignifies
JiupefdBion : arid in PIcbrew likewife, the wine has
its name from its remarkable inebriating quality.
II, 12. Wo unto them who rife early— -] There
is a likenefs between this and the following paflage
of the Prophet Airios, who probably vffote before
Ifaiah; if the latter is the copyer, he. feems hardly
to have equalled the elegance of the original :
'1.' . ' ' ' -' •
" Ye that put far away" the evil day, ,, ,
" And afFefl the feat of violence ;
" "Who lie upon beds of ivory,
'** And ftretch -yourfelves upon your coudifes ;
*' And eat the latfibs from the flock,
" And calves from the midft ofthe ftall
" Who chant to the found ofthe vjol,
•' And lik§ David invent for - yourfelves inftruments of
" mufic ; . ,, ¦
'¦' Who^quaff wine in large bowls,
" And are anointed with the choiceft ointnietlts :
"But are not grieved for the afBiftiori ofjofeph."
' ' ' Amos VI. -3 — 5.
13, 14. , And their nobles^—] -Thefe .veffes; haye
likewife a reference to the two preceding. They,
that indulged in feafting and drinking, fhall perifh
with hunger and thirft : and Hades fhall indulge his
appetite, as much as they had done, and devour
them all. The image is ftrong, and expreffive in
the higheft degree. Habakuk ufes the fame image
with great force: the ambitious and avaricious con
queror "Enlargeth his appetite like Hades;
" And he is like death, and will never Ije fatisfied." , "• 5'
YOL. II. ^ Buti

6€ K[OTES 0;Tf .CHAP. T'._
But, iff Ifaiah, Hades is introduced, to much greater
.advantage, in perfon; and placed beford our eyes'
in the, form of a ravenous monfler, opening wide his
unmeafurable jaws, and fwallowing them all toge
ther. ¦ -
17. — without reftraint—^] D1213, fecundum
dudlum eorum; i.e. fuo ipforum^ dudlu ; as their
own win fhall lead them.
Ibid. "And the kids — '] Heb., a^J, ftrangers.
The LXX read, more agreeably to the defign of the
prophet, DHD, apvsg, .the lambs: DHJ, the kids-, dr..
jjuRELj.; , nearer to the prefent ¦ reading : and fo
Archbifhop Secker, The meaning is, their. luxurious
habitations fhall be fo intirely deftroyed, as to be
come a pafture for flocks.
18 — a^S; a long cable] The lxx, Aquila, Sym.
and Theod. for ?'?2ni read ''^ina, wf <r%oiviu),--or-
a-yj>moig : and; tiie lxx, inftead of i^w, read fome
other word fignifying long ; dig a-'^oivuii (/.ktI^io •. and fo
likewife the Syriac, KlJ'li*.' Houbigant conjedlures,
that the word, which, the lxx had in their copies,
was VTW., which is ufed. Lev. xxi. 18. xxn. 23,
for fomething , in an . animal . body fuperfluous^
lengthened -beyond its natural meafure. And he ex
plains it of fin. a^ded to fin,, and. one fin.dra.wing on
an otlier, tillthewhole comes to an enormous length
and magnitude ; . compared to the -work of a rope-
maker, ,ftiil, increafing and lengthening his rope,
with the continued addition of new materials, "Eos
:" Propheta fimiles facit homini reftiario, qui' funem
*' torquet, cannabe addita & contorta, eadem iterans,
" donee funem in longum duxerit, neque eum liceat
*^' protrahi longius." " An evil inclination (fays
" Kjraclli on the place, from the antient Rabbins')
" is at the beginning like a fine, hair-ftring, but at
" the finiflnnglike a thick cart-rope." By a long
pr-ogreliion in iniquity, anal a continued accuriiula -
tion

GHAP. V. f SAIAH. ' 67
tion of fin, men arrive at length to the higheft de
gree of wickednefs ; bidding open defiance to God,
and fcoffing at his threatened judgements, as it is
finely expreffed uvthe next verfe. The Chaldee pa
raphraft explains it in the fame manner, of wicked
nefs increafing from fmall beginnings, till it arrives
to a great magnitude.
23. — the righteous] pns, lingular, lxx, Vulg.
and twp Editions.
24. — the tonguS of firej " The fiame, becanfe
*' it is in the fhape of a tongue ; and fo it is called
" metaphorically.'' Sal. ,b. Melec. The metaphor is
- fo exceedingly obvious, as well as beautiful, that
one may wonder, that it has not been, more frequently
ufed. Virgil very eltegantly intimates, rather than
expreffes, the image: .^n. 11.- 682.
" Ecce levis fummo de vertice vifus luli '
" Fundere lumen apex ; tradluque jhnoxia rrtolli
•' Lambere fizmma comas, &- circum telnpora /><7/f/.'.*
And more boldly of jEtria darting put flarries from
its top; ^n, in. 574.
•' Attbllitquc globos flammarum, k {idersi lamiit."
The difparted tongues, as it were, of fire, (Adls ii»
3.)- which appeared at the defcent ofthe Holy Spirit
op the Apoftles, give the fame idea; that is, ©f
flimes fhooting diverfely into pyramidal forms, or
points, like tongues. It may be further obferved,
that the prophet in this place has given H:he metaphor
its full force, - in applying it to the adlion -of fire in
eating^lp arid devouring wha-tever comes in its way,
like a ravenous animal, whofe tongue is principally
employed in taking in his food or prey; which
image Mofes has ftrongly exhibited in am expreffiye
comparifon : " And Moab faid' to the elders of Mi-
*-' dian," Now fhall this coUedlion. of people lick v^
•,: Fa' "all

68 NOTES ON CHAP/ v..
" all that are round about -US, a,s the ox licketh up
"the. grafs of the field.". Numb. xxn. 4. See alfo
I Kings XVIII, 38. . ' ¦
., 25. — and the moiintains trembled — '] Probably
referring to the great earthquakes in the days of Uz-
,iziah king Idf Judah, in, or not long before, the time
of the Prophet himfelf; recorded as a remarkable
era in the Title ofthe Prophecies of Amos, chap. i.
I. and by Zechariah, chap. Xiv. 5.
- 26. — he willhift— ] "The metaphor is taken
" from: tiie pradlice of thofe that keep bees ; who
" draw them out of their hives into the fields,, and
^' lead them back again, , (ri^f/jr^uao-/, by a hifs, qr a
" whiftle." Cyril, on the place; and' to the fame
purpofe, Theodoret, ibid. In chap. ivii. 18. the
metaphor is mpre apparent, by being carried fur
ther ; where the hoftile armies are expreffed by the
Fly arid the Bee : , , ' -
" JEHOVAH fbal) hift the fly,
, *¦' That is in the utmoft parts of Egypt;
"And the bee, that is in the land oi Afryria."
On which place fee Deut. i. 44. Pf. cxvni. 12. and
God calls the locufts his great army,- Joel 11. 25.
Exod. Xxiii. 2S. See Huet. Ouagft. Alnet. 11. 12.
Ibid. — ^with fpeed — ^] This refers to the 19th
verfe. As the fcoffers had challenged God to make
fpeed arid to haflen his work of vengeance; fo now
God affures them, thatXvith fpeed and fwiftiy.it fhall
come. 27. Nor fhall the girdle—] The Eaftern people,
wearing long and loofe gannents, were unfit for ac
tion, or bufinefs of any kind, without girding their
cloaths about them: when their bufinefs was
finifhed, they took off^ their girdles. A girdle there
fore denotes ftrength and adlivity ; and to unloofe
the girdle is to deprive of ftfeng,th, to render unfit for

CHAP. V. JSAIAH. 69
for adlion. God promifes to unloofe the loins of
kings before Cyrus : chap. Xlv. i. The girdle is fo
effential a part of a foldier's accoutrement, being the
laft that he puts on to make himfelf ready for adlion, .
that to be girded, ^oowwo-Qat, with the Greeks, means
to be compleatly armed, and ready for battle :
A^stHg. , II. XI. 15.
To d: ivdvvoii ta onhcx, SKxTmv ol xsa'hMiO!. ^uvma-dcxt. Pau
fan. Boeot. It is ufed in the fame manner by the
Hebrews : " Let not him, that girdeth himfelf, boaft,
" as he that unlOOfeth his girdle." i Kings xx. 11.
that is, -" triumph not, before the war is finifhed."
28. The hoofs of their horfes fhall be counted as
adamant.] The fhoeing of horfes with iron plates.
nailed to t|ie hoof is quite a modern pradlice, and
' imknown to the antients ; as appears from the filence
of the Greek and Roman writers, efpecially thofe
that treat of horfe-medicine j who could not have
paffed over a matter fo obvious, and of fuch im
portance, that now the whole fcience takes its name
from it, being called by us Ferriery. The horfe-
fhoes of leather and iron, which are mentioned, the
filver and the gold fhoes, with which Nero and Pop-
pea fhod their mules, ufed occafionally to preferve
the hoofs of delicate cattle, or for vanity, were of a
¦Very different kind ; they inclofed the whole hoof,'
as in a cafe, or as a fhoe does a man's foot, and were
bound or tied on. For this reafon the ftrength,
firmnefs, and folidity of a horfe's hoof was of much
greater importance with them, thaq with us ; and
was efteemed one of the firft praifes of a fine horfe.
Xenophon fays, that a good horfe's hoof is hard,
hollow, and founds upon the ground like a cymbal.
Hence the %«Ax57roSjc iV7r« of Homer : and Virgil's
*' folido graviter fonat ungula cornu." And Xeno-^
F 3 phon

fa NOTES ©N CHAP. T. ,
phon gives diredllons for hardening the horfe%<hoofs,*
by making the pavement, ori which h? ftands in the
ilable, with round-headed ftones. For want of this
artificial defence to the foot, which our horfes have,
Amos, VI. 12. fpeaks of it as a thing as much im
pradlicable to make horfes run upon a hard rock, as
to plough up the fame rogk with oxen ;
". Shall hprfes run upon a rock ?
" Shall one plough it up with oxen ?"
Thefe circumftances muft be taken into confidera
tion, in order to give us a full notion of the pro
priety and force of the image, by which the Pro^
phet fets forth the ftrength and excellence . of the
Babylonifh cavalry ; which made a great part of the
ftrength of tiie Affyrian army, Xenoph. Cyrop.
lib. n,
27, a8. None among therri-^-r-] Kimchi has, well
iUuflrated this continued exaggeration, or .hyperbole,
as he rightly calls it, to the following effedl :
*' Through the greatnefs of their courage, they fhall
" not be fatigued with their march] nor fhall they
*' ftumble, though Ihey march with the utmoft
*' fpeed: they fhall not flumber by day, nor fleep
" by night ; neither fhall they ungird their armour,
©r put off their fandals, to take their jreft : their
arms fhall be always in readlnefs, their arrows
*' fharpened, and their bows bent: the hoofs of
*' their horfes are hard as a fock ; they fhall not fail,
" or need to be fhod with iron : the. Xvheels of their
" carriages fhall move as rapidly as a whirlwirid."
30. And thefe fhall "look t» the heaven upward,
.^nd down to the earth.] '\f\nb 1S2S]. mu f/iSAt-4^ov7«j
?i^ rp yi}v. So the lxx, according to Vat. and
^ex. Copies; but the Compl. and Aid. Editions
have it more fully thus : xoii ijjJ^Kt^ovlKf sfg rov upccvov
tim, 3t«/ Kcij^M :-r-and the Arabic, from the lxx, as
6 -.'•'¦ if

<e

CHA(P. V. "ISAIAH, 71
if it had ftood thus : Jcar i/^S^ftJ/ov/a' i^i "^ov ,8f*wv,. tuxi
sig tYjv yyjv-KcxJM: both of which' are plainly defedlive ; ,
the words su triv yrp being wanted in thte, former, and
the word avM in the latter. But an antient Coptic
Verfion from the lxx, fuppofed to be of the 2d
century, fome fragments of which are preferved in
the library of St. Germain des Prez at Paris, com*
pletes the fentence ; for, according to this "V'erfionj
It ftood thus in lxx, %a,i iY&X^-\iov\eii sig rov a^ocvov avoo,
xai sig rrjv yyjv Kotjoo ; and fo it ftands in lxx, mss
Pachom. and i D. n. according to which .they,
muft have read in their Hebrew text in this manner :
nOD^.ynN'?"! nbypb D^pwb aa:v This is probably the
true reading ; with which I have made the tranfla
tion agree. Compare chap. vni. 22. where the
Tame fenfe js expreffed iri regard- to both particulars,
which are here equally and highly proper, the look
ing upwards, as well as down, to the earth ; but the
form of expreffion is varied. I believe the Hebrew
text'in that place to be right, though not fo full as
Ifuppofe it was originally here ; and that of the lxx
there to be redundant, being as full as the Coptic
verfion, and Mss Pachom, and i D. n'. reprefdnt
it in this place, from which I fuppofe it has been- in- /
, t^rpolatcd. Ibid, the gloomy vapour] Syr. and Vuls, feem
to have read n^Btya. But Jarchi explains the pre
fent reading as fignifying darknefs ; and fo poflibly "
Syr. and Vulg. may have underftood it in the fame
juannef.

jB^ 4 CHAP.

7« NOTESON CHAi;. Vf.

• CHAP- "VI-
As this vifion feems to contain a folemn defi^a-
tion of Ifaiah to the prophetical office, it is by moft
' interpreters thought to be. the firft in order of his
prophecies. But this perhaps may not be fo : for
Ifaiah is faid, in the general tide of his prophecies,
to have prophefied^in the time of Uzziah; whofe
adls, firft and laft he wrote, 2 Chron. xxvi. 22.
which was ufually done by a contemporary Prophet :
and the phrafe, in the year when Uzziah died, pro
bably means after the death of Uzziah ; as the fame
phrafe, chap, xiv. 28. means after the death or
Ahaz. Not that Ifaiah's prophecies are placed in
exadl order of time: chapters n. in. iv. v. feem
by internal, marks to be antecedent to chap. i. they
fuit the time of Uzziah, or the former part of Jo
tham's reign ; whereas chap. i. can hardly be earlier
than the laft years of Jotham. See note on ch. i. 7.
and n. I. This might be a new defignation, to in
troduce more folemnly a general declaration of the
whole courfe of God's difpenfations in regard to his,
people, and the fates of the nation ; which are even
now ftill depending, and will not be fully accom
plifhed till the final reftoration of Ifrael.
In this vifion the ideas are taken in general from\
Royal Majefty, as difplayed by the Monarchs ofthe.
Eaft : for the Prophet could not reprefent the inef
fable prefence of God by any other than fenfible and
earthly ijnages. The particular fcenery of it is taken
from the Temple. God is reprefented as feated on
his throne above the Ark in the mofl holy place,
where the glory appeared abovd the Cherubim, fur-
rounded by his- attendant minifters. This is called by

CHAP. VI. ISAIAH. 73
f
by God himfelf, " The place ofhis throne, and the
" place of the foles of his feet." Ezek. xliii. 7.
" A glorious throne, exalted of old, is the place of
" ovir fandluary;" faith the Prophet Jeremiah, ch.
xvn. 12. The very pofture of fitting is a mark of
ftate and folemnity: " Sed & ipfum verbum federe
'" regni fignificat poteftatem;" faith Jerom, Com
ment, in Ephef. i. 20. See note on.chap. lii. 2. St.
John, who has taken many fublime images from the
Prophets of the Old Teilament, and in particular
from Ifaiah, hath exhibited the fame fcenery, drawn
out into ai greater number bf particulars. Rev.
chap. IV. ¦
The veil, feparatlng the, moft holy place from:the
holy, or outermoft part ofthe Temple, is here fup
pofed to be taken away ; for the Prophet, to whom
the -whole is exhibited, is manifeftly placed by the
altar of burnt offering, at the entrance of the Tem
ple, (compare Ezek. xliii. 5, 6.) which was filled
: with the train of the robe, the fpreading and over-'
flowing of the Divine Glory. The Lord upon the
throne, according to St. Jofin, xn. 41. was Chrift;
and the vifion related to his future kingdom ; when
the veil of feparation was to be removed, and the
whole earth was to be filled with the glory of God,'
revealed to mankind : which is likewife implied in
the hymn of the Seraphim ; the defign of which is,
faith Jerom on the place, " ut myfterium Trinitatis
" in una Divinitate demonftrent; &, nequaquam
" templum Judaicum, ficut prius, fed omnem ter-
" ram illius gloria, plenam efle teftentur." It relates
indeed primarily to the Prophet's own time, and the.
obduration of the Jews of that age, and their punifh-*
ment .by the Babylonifh captivity ; >but extends in
its full latitude to the age of Mefliah, and the blind
nefs of the Jews to the gofpel ; (fee Matt. xni. 14,
John xn. 40. Adls xxviii. 26. Rom- xi. 8.) ^e:
defo-

74 JfOTESOSr CHAPv- VI.
defoldtion of their country by the Romans, and
their being rgedled by God: that neverthelefs a
holy feed, a remnant, fhould be preferved, and
that the natiori fhould fprout out and flourifh again
from the old ftock. ^
In the ift verfe^ fifty-one mss, and one Edition ;
in the Sth verfe, forty-four mss, and one Edition;
and in the nth verfe, thirty-three mss, and one
Edition, for ''jnj*, "the Lord," read-mn*, " jEr
*' HOVAH;" which is probably the true reading;
(compare verfe 6th :) as in many other places, in
which the fuperftition of the Jews has fubftituted
^jni* for nin».
2. he covereth his feet.] By the feet the Hebrews
mean alt the lower parts of the body. But the peo
ple of the Eaft generally gearing long robes reaching
to the ground, and covering the lower parts of the
body down to the feet, it may hence have been
thought .Want of tefpedl and decency to appear in
public, and on folemn occafions, with even the feet
themfelves uncovered. Kempfer, fpeaking of thb
king of Perfia giving audience, fays ; ' ' Rex in me-
" dio fupremi ^trii cruribus more patrio inflexis fe- •
*' debat : corpus tunica inveftiebat flava, ad furas
*' cum ftaret prolenfa; difcumbentis vero pedes- dif-
*' calceatos pro' urbanitate patria operiens." Amoen.
Exot. p. 227. Sir John Chardin's ms note on this
place of Ifaiah is as follows: " Grande marque de
*' refpedl en Orient de fe cacher les pieds, quand on
" eft affis, & de baiffer le vifage. Quand le Sove-
" rain fe monftre en Chine & a Japon, chacun fe
*'jette le vifage contre terre, & il n'eft pas permis
" de regarder le Roi."
3. Holy, holy, holy— -] This hymn, performed
by the Seraphim, divided into two choirs, the one
finging refponfively to the other ; which Gregory
Nazian. Carm. 18. very elegantly calls 2u/A(f!wvov,

CHAP.TI. -JSAIAH. 75
civTiipuvov, ¦etfyi'kiiv ^qfcr/i/, is formed upon the pradlice
of alternate finging, which prevailed in the Jewifh
chur-ch from the time of Mofes, -whofe Ode at the
Red Sea was thus performed, (fee ExOd. xv. ao,
41.) to that of Ezra, under whom the Priefts and
Levites fung alternately, .. ^ ,
*' O praife jehovah, for he is gracious ;
" For his mercy endureth for ever."
Ezra III. II. See De S. Poef Hebr. Prael. xix. at
the beginning.
5. I am ftriick dumb.] '>T\tni, twenty-eight mss
(five Antient) arid three Editions. I underftand. it
as from DH, or DDl, filere ; and fo it is fendefed
by Syr. Vulg. Sym. and by fome of the Jewifh in
terpreters, apud Sal. b. Melec. The rendering of
the Syriac is, OJ* T'^il, ftupens, attonitus fum. He
immediately gives the reafon, why he was ftruck
dumb ; bec,aufe he was a man of polluted lips, and
was unworthy either to join the Seraphim in finging
praifes to God, or to be the meffenger of God to
his people. Compare Exod. iv. 10. vi. 12. Jer.
J. 6. "
6. from off the altar.] That is, from the altar of
jburnt-offerings, before the door of the Teraple ; on
which the fire that came down at firft from heaten.
Lev. IX. 24. a Chron. vn. i. was perpetually kept
burning ; it was never to be extinguifhed : Lev. vi.
12,13. \
5. Thirteen mss have ViVCy, in the regular form.
10. Make grofs—] The Prophet fpeaks pf the
event, the fadl as it would adlually haplpen; not of
God's purpofe, and adl by his miniftry. The Pro
phets are in other places faid to perform the .thing,
which they only foretell :
*' Lo ! I have given thee a charge this day,
** Over the nations, and over the-kingdomj; «'To

']6 N^TES OK CHAP. VI.
" TtJ pluck up, and to pull down ;
" To deftroy, and to demolifh ;
" To build, and to plant." ]er. i. j^.
Artd Ezekiel fays, " when I came to deftrojr the
" .city ;" that is, as it is rendered in the margin of
our verfiori, " when I came to prophefy, that the-
'" city fhould be deftroyed." Chap, xliii. 3. Tp
hear, and not underftand • to fee, and not perceive ;
is a common faying in many languages. Demofthe
nes ufes it, and expreffly calls it a proverb : wgs ra
rnig 'E!roi^tp,io!,g o^tavroig jx.vi opoiv, tlki aKHOvrixg p.ri axaiiv.''
Contra Ariftogit. 1. fiib fin. The Pro|)het, by the
bold figure in the fentiment above-mentioned, and
the elegant form and conftrudlion of the fentence,
has raifed- it from a common proverb into a beauti
ful Majhal, and given it the fubfime air of poetry.
Ibidi — clofe up] - jnypi : this word Sal. b. Melec
explains to this fenfe, in which it is hardly ufed elfe
where, on the authority of Onkelos. He fays, - it
means clofing up the eyes, fo that one cannot fee ;
that- the root is ym, by which word the Targum has
rendered the word ni3, Lev. xiv. 42. -JiU nH nDl,
" and fhaU plafter the houfe." And the word na
is ufed in the fame, Ifaiah xliv. 18. So that it
fignifies to clofe up the eyes by fome matter fpread
-upon the lids. Mr. Harmer very ingenioufly ap
plies to this paffage a pradlice of fealing up the eyes
as a ceremony, or as a kind of punifhment, ufed in
the Eaft, from which the image may poffibly be
taken. Obfervations n. 278.
Ibid. — ^with their hearts.] 132^1% fifteen mss,
and two Editions.
Ibid, —and I fhould heal.] K51K), lxx, Vulg.
So likewife Matt. xni. 14. John xit. 40. Adls
xxvni. 27.
II. — be left.J For HKiyn, lxx. and Vulg. read

, eHAP.yi. ISAIAH, V77
13. — a tenth part] This paffage, though fome
what obfcure, and varioufly explained by various
imerpreters, yet, I think, has been made fo clear
by the accomplifhment of the prpphecy, that there
remains little room to doubt of the fenf% of it.
When Nebuchadnezzar had carried away the greater
arid better part of the people into captivity, there
was yet a tenth remaining in the land, the poorer
.fort, left to be vine^dreflers. and hufbandmen, un-
-der Gedafiah, 2 Kings _ xxv. . 12, 22. and the dif
perfed Jews gathered themfelves together, and re
turned to him, Jer. XL. 12: yet even thefe, fleeing -
info Egypt after the death, of Gedaliah, contra/y to
the warning of God given by the Prophet Jeremiah,
miferably perifhed there. Again, in the fubfequent
.and more remarkable completion of the Prophecy in
the deftrudlion of Jerufalem and the. diflblution of
.the commonwealth by the Romans, when the Jews,
. after the lofs qf above a milliori of men, had in-
^, created from the fcanty refidue .th.at was left of them,
and had become very numerous again in their; coun
try; Hadrian, provoked by their rebellious beha
viour, flew: above half ^a million more of them,' and
a fecond time almoft extirpated the nation. ¦ Yet
a.fter thefe fignal and almoft uaiverfal deftnidliona of
that nation, and, after fo many other repeated exter
minations and maffacres of them, in different times
and on various occafions fince, we yet^fee, with
aftonifhment, that the ftock ftill remains, from
which God, according to his '-promife frequently
given by his Prophets, will caufe his people to fhoot
forth again, and to .floiirifh. '
For.ai, above feventy mss (eleven Antient) read
ni;,and fo LXX.

CHAP.

7^ IfOTES ON CKAP. vir.
¦"l"^\- CHAP. VIL
* . " '.
The confederacy of Retfin king of Syria, and
Pekah king oflfraei, againft the kingdom of Judah,
was formed in the time of Jotham ; and perhaps the
eflfedls of it vyere felt in the latter part of his reign :
fee 2 Kings xv. 37. and Note on chap. i. 7 — 9.
However, in the very beginning- of the reign of
Ahiz, they jointly invaded Judah: with a powerful
army, and threatened to deftroy, or to dethrone,'
the lioufe of; David.' The king and royal family-
being in the utmoft confternation on receiving ad
vices of their defigns, Ifaiah is fent tO them to fup
port and comfort them in their prefent diftrefs, by
affuring them, that God would make good his pro
mifes to David and his Horife. This makes the fub
jedl bf this, and the following, and -the' beginning of
the ninth, chapters ; in which there are .^any arid
-great difficulties.
Chapter vn. begins with an hiftorical accounf of
the occafion of this Prophecy : and then follows, v.
4-^16, a predidlion ofthe ill fuccefs of the defigns
of the Ifraelites and Syrians againft Judah: arid,
from thence to the end of the chapter, a denuncia
tion of the calamities to be brought upon the kirig
and people of Judah by the- Affyrians, whom they
had now hired to' affift them. Chapter vin. has a
pretty dole connedlion with the foregoing: it con
tains a confirmation ofthe Prophecy before given of
the approaching deftrudlion of the kingdoms of If
rael and Syria by the Affyrians ; of the denunci^ion
of the invafion of Judah by the fame Affyrians : v.
9, 10, give a repeated general afiurance, that all the
defigns of the enemies of God's people fhall be in
' - . the

CHAP. Vlf. ISAIAK. ^79
the end difappointed, and brought to nought j v. ir,
&c. admonitions and thfeatnings, (I do not attempt
a more particular explanation of thi^ very difficult
part,) concluding with an illuftrious prophecy (chap.
IX. I — 6) of the manifeftation of Meffiah; the tran
fcendent dignity of his charadler ; and the univerfar-
lity and eternal duration of his kingdom.
4. The Syriac qmits D"ll«1 ; Vulg. reads niK *]^D :
<)ne or the other feems to be the true reading. I
prefer the former : or inftead of ]y\ DIKI, read
p np3i, MS, -
8, 9. Though the head of Syria be Damafcus,
And the head of Damafcus, Retfin ;
Yet within threefcore and five years,
Ephraim fhall be broken, that he be no more a
people: .
And the head of Ephraim be Samaria ; ,
And the head of Samaria, Remaliah's fpo.]
" Here are fix line?, or three diftichs, the order
of which feems to have been difturbed by a tranfpo
fition, occafioned by three of the lines beginning
with the fame word Viri) ; which three lines ought
not to have been feparated by any other line inter
vening; but a copyift, having written- the'firft of
them, ' and cafting his eye on t-he third, might eafily
proceed to write after the firft line beginning with,
f Nil that vvhich ought to have followed the third line
beginning with tt»KlV Then, finding his miftake,
to preferve the beauty of his copy, added at the end
of the diftich, which fhould have been in the iniddle ;
making that the fecond diftich, which ought, to have
been the third. ' For the order as it noW ftands" is
prepofterous; the deftrudlion of Eph^t^im is de
nounced, and then their grandeur is fet forth:
whereas naturally the reprefentation of the grandeur.
of Ephraim fhould precede that of their deftrydlion.
And th« d^eftrudlion of Ephraim- has np coherence with.

8o NOTESON .CHAP. VIlJ
wkh. the grandeur of Syria, fimply as ffich, which
it now 'follows ; but it naturally and properly follovvs
the grandeur of Ephraim, joined to that of Syria
their ally I"
" The arrangement then of the whole fentence
feems originally to have been thus :
Though the head of Syria be Damafcus ;
And' the head of Damafcus, Retfin;
Apd the head of Ephraim be Samarii ; i .
And tlie head of Sarnaria, Remaliah's .fon ; .
Yet "within threefcore and five years, ;
Ephraim fhall be broken, that he be no more a people.*'
DR. JUBB.
8. — threefcore and five years] It was fixty-five
.years from the begirining of the reign of Ahaz, when
this prophecy was delivered, to the total depopula
tion of the kingdom of Ifrael by Efarhaddon, who
carried -away 'the remains of the ten tribes, which
had, been left by Tiglath Pilefer, and Shalmanefer,
' and who planted the country with new inhabitants.
That the country was not wholly ftripped of its in
habitants by Shalmanefer, appears from many paf
fages' of the hiftory of Jofiah ; where Ifraelites are
mentioned as ftiU remaining there, 2 Chron. xxxiv.
6, 7, 33. and xxxv. 18. < a Kings xxin. 19, 20.
This feems to be the beft explanation of the chrono
logical difficulty in this place, which has much em-'
barraffed .the- commentators : fee Ufferii Annah V.
T. ad. an. 3327. and Sir I. Newton, Chronol. p. ^83.
" That the laft deportation of Ifrael by Efarhad
don was in the fixty-fifth year after the fecond of
Ahaz, is probable, for the following reafons : The
Jews in Seder Olam Rabba, and the Talmudifts, in
D. Kimchi on Ezek. 'i v. fay, that Manaffeh king of
Judafi was carried to Babylon by the king of Affy
ria's captains, 2 Chron; xxxin.. ii. iri the twenty-
fecond year ofhis reign; that is, before Chrift 676,
I according

CHAP. VII. ISAI AH. 8l
according to Dr. Blair's Tables. And they are pro-
bablv right in this. ^ It could not be much earlier;
as the king of Affyria was not king of Babylon till
68oj ibid. As Efarhaddon was then in the neigh
bourhood of Samaria, it is highly probable, that he
did then carry away the laft remains of Ifrael ; and
brought thofe ftrangers thither, who mention him
as their founder, Ezra iv. 2. But this year is juft
the fixty-fifth year from the fecond of Ahaz, which
wiis 740 before Chrift. Now the carrying away of
the laft remains of Ifrael, (who, till then, though
their kingdom was deftroyed forty-five years before,
and though fmall in number, yet might keep up
fome form of being a people, by living according to
their own laws,) intirely put an end to the people
oflfraei, as a people feparate from all others: for
from this time they never returned to their own
country in a body, but v/ere confounded with the
people of Judah in the Captivity, and the whole
people, the ten tribes included, were, called Jews."
DR. JUBB.
9. If ye believe not — ] " Tiiis claufe is very
much illuftrated, by confidering the Captivity of
Manaffeh as happening at the fame time with this
predidled final ruin of Ephraim as a people. The
near connexion of the two fadb makes the predidlion
of the one naturally to cohere with the predidlion of
the other. And the words are well fuited to this
event in the hiftory of the people of Judah. " If
" ye believe not, ye fhall not be eftabfift.ed:" that
is, unlefs ye believe this prophecy of the deftrudlion
of Ifrael, ye Jews alfo, as well as the people of If
rael, flaall not remain eflablifhed as a kingdom and
people; ye alfo fhall be vifited vv'ith punilhment at
the fame time. As our Saviour told the Jews in his
time, " unlefs ye repent, ye fhall all likev/ife pe-
'*.' rifh ;" intimating their deftrudlion by the Romans ;
VOL. II. G to

8a NOTES OW CHAi*. VII.
.to which alfo, as well as to the Captivitj' of Manaf
feh, and to tlie Babylonifh Captivity, the views of
the Prophet might here extend. The clofe con
nexion of this threat to the Jews, with the prophecy
of the deftrudlion of Ifrael, is another ftrong proof^
that the order of the preceding lines above propofed
is right." i>R. JUBB.
Ibid. If ye believe riot in me — ] The exhortation
of Jehofhaphat to his people, when God had pro
mifed to thera, by the Prpphet Jahaziel, vidlory'
over the Moabites and Ammonites, is very like this
both in fenfe and expreffion, and feems to be de
livered in verfe :
" Hear me, O Ji>dah ; and ye inhabitants of Jerufs-
"lem!.
" Beheve in jehovah your God, ahd ve fhall be efia-
'' bliflied : ' , '
** Belieye hi« Prophets, and ye fhall profper.'*- 2 Chion. XX. 20.
Where both the fenfe and conftrudlion render very
probable a conjedlure of Archbiftiop Secker on this
place ; that inftead of D we .fliould read ^. "If ye
-*' will not believe in me, ye fhalT not be eflablifhedT'
So fikewife Dr. Durell. • The Chaldee has, " If ye
" will- not bclfeve in the words of the Prophet:"
which feems to be a paraphrafe of the reading here
propofed. In favour of which- it may be further
•obferved, that in one ms "^ is upori a rafure; and-
anOther for the laft J<V reads N^l, which would pro
perly follow ^ ; but could not foflow ^,
II. Go deep to the graAe— ] So Aquila,. Svm-..
Theodot. Vulg.
14. jehovah] For ^rrK, twenty-five mss (nine-
Antient) read mn^ And fo v. 20. 'eighteen mss.
14—16- When he fhall know — J " Though fo'
much has been written on this important pafliige, there ¦

CHAP. vu. t S A I A H. 83
there is an obfcurity and inConfequence- which • ftill
attends it, in the general run of all the interpretations
given to it by the nwft learned. And this obfcure
incoherence is given to it by the falfe rendering of a
Hebrew particle, viz. b in inV"T^. This has been
generally rendered, either " that he may know,"
or " till he know." It is capable of either verfion,
witliout doubt. But either of thefe verfions makes
V. 15. incoherent and inconfiftent with v. 16. For
V. 16. plainly means to give a reafon for the afier-
tion in V. 15 ; becaufe it is fubjoined to it by the
particle O, for. But it is no reafon why a child
fhould eat butter and honey //// he was at an age 'to
diftinguifh, that before that time- the land of his na
tivity fhould be free from its enemies. This latter
- fuppofition indeed implies what is inconfiftent with'
the preceding affertion. For it implies, that in part
of that time of the infancy fpoken of the land fliould
not be free from enemies, and confequently thefe
fpecies of delicate food could not be attairiable, a3
they are in times of peace. The other verfion,
" that he may know," has no meaning at all*: for
what fenfe is there in aflerting, that a child fhall eat
butter and honey, that he rriay ki^ow to refufe evil
and choofe good ? is there any fuch effedl in this
food ? Surely no. Befides, the child is thus repre
fented to eat thofe things, which only a ftate of
peace produces, during its whole infancy, incon
fiftently with V. 16. which promifes a relief from
enemies only before the end of this infancy ; imply
ing plainly, that part of it would be pa-fied in,
diflrefsful times of war and fiege ; whicii was the^
ftate of things, when the prophecy was delivered."
" But all thefe objedlions are cut of£^ and a clear
coherent fenfe is given to this paffage by giving ano
ther fenfe to the particle b ; which never occurred to
me, tifl I faw it in Harmer's Obfervat. vol. i. p. 2-99.
V fr 2 See

84 KOTES ON CHAP. Vffi
Sefe how coherent the wort's of the Prophet run#
x^ifith how iiatiiral a connexion one claufe follows ano
ther, by properly rendering '.his one particle. " Be-
" hold this Virgin fhall conteive, and bear a Son,
" and thou fhalt call his mme Immanuel : butter
" and honey fhall lie eat, t hen he fhall know to
" refufe evil, and choofe gcod. For, before this
" child fhall know to refufe evil, arid choofe good,
" the land fliall be defolate, by whofe two kirigs
" thou art diftrefled." Thus v. 16. fubjoins a plain
reafon why the child fhould eat butter and honey,
the food of plentiful times, w h:n he came to a
diftinguifhing age; \i'Z. becaife before that time
the country of the two kings, who now diftrefled
Judea, fhould be defolated ; and fo Judea fliould
recover that plenty which attends peace. That this-
rendering, which gives perfpicuity and rational con
nexion to the pafl"age, is according to the ufe ofthe
Hebrew particle is certain. Thus, Ip2 DUSb, 'at
* the appearing of morning, or, when morning ap-
' peared;' Exod. xiv. 27. boUTi T^vb, ' at meal- ^
' time, or, 'ivken it was time to eat.' Ruth n. i^.
In the fame manner, "Jjiyn"?, " at his knowing, that
"' is, when he knows."
" Harmer (ibid.) has clearly fhcwri^ that thefe
articles of food are delicacies in the eaft ; and as fuch
denote a ftate of plenty. See alio Jofh. v. 6. They
therefore naturally exprefs the plenty ofthe country,
as a mark of peace reftored to it. Indeed j ver. 22.-
it exprefles a plenty arifihg from the thinnefs of the
people: but that it fignifies, v. 15. a plenty arifing
fVoni deliverance from war then prcl'cnt, is evident*
Becaufe Otherwife there is ho exi;r(.ffiori of this de
liverance. And that a ("'tliveriu^oe v.as intended to
be here expreffed is pLin, from calling -the child,
which fhould be borri, Iirminuel, God- wiih us.
It is plain alfo, becaufe it is Lefore given to the Pro-' phet

¦CHAP. vn. ISAIAH. 85
pb°t in charge to make a declaration of the dcfive-
. ranee, v. 3 — 7 ; and it is there made ; and this Pro-
' phecy mufl undoubtedly be conformable tp that in
this matter." dr. jubb.
The circumftance of the child's eating butter and
- honey is explained by Jarchi, as denoting a ftate pf
plenty : " iButyrum & mel comedet infans ifte, quo-
^ ". niam terra noftra plena erit omnis boni." Com
ment, in locum. The infant Jupiter, f"ays Callima-
chus, was tenderly nurfed with goat's milk and
honey. Hymn, in Jov. 48, Homer, of the orphan
dhughters of Pandareus ;
" KO^-iras Oi §/' A(ppo'^tTyi
" T'jfO), KO'fu.s'Airt yXvnsaj}, xai ;;S.-i o/vw."
Odyff. XX. 68,
" Venus in tender delicacy rears
" With honey, miik^ and v;ine their infant years." Pope
.Tpv^rig igiv ivht^ig' " This is a defcription of delicate
" food;" fays i^uftatliius on the place,
Agreeably to, the obfervations, communicated by
the learned perfon above-mentioned, vvhich perfedlly
Well explain the hiftorical fenfe of this much-dif-
puted paflage, nof excluding a higher fecondary
fenfe, the obvious and literal meaning of the pro-
phecyi is this : ' that within the time that a young
^ woman, qow a virgin, fhould conceive and bring
* forth a child, and that child fliould arrive at fuch
* an age as to difringuilh between good and evil,
' that is, v/ithin a few years, (compare ch. viii, 4.)
-' the enemies of Judah fliould . be deftroyed.' But
the prophecy is introduced in fo folemn a manner ;
the fign is fp marked, as a fign feledled and given
by Cjod himfelf, after Ahaz had rejedled the offer
..of any fign of his own choofing out of the whole
compafs of nature ; the terms of the prophecy are fo
. . ^ 3 ' • P^-

86 NOTES ON CHAP. VII,
peculiar, and the Name of the child fo expreffive,
coritaining in them much more than the circum-
flances of the birth of a common child required, or
even admitted; that we may eafily fuppofe, that,
in minds prepared by the general expedlation of a
great Deliverer to fpring from the houfe of Da\ id,
they raifed hopes far beyond what the prefent.
occafion fuggefted; efpecially when it was found,
that in the fubfequent prophecy, delivered imme
diately afterward, this child, called Immanuel, is
treated as the Lord and Prince of the land of Judah,
Who could this be, other than the Heir ofthe throng
cf David : under which charadler a great and even a
Divine Perfon had been promifed. No one of that
age anfwered to this charadter, except Hezekiah ;¦
but he was certainly born nine or ten years before
the delivery of this prophecy. That this was fo un
derftood at that time, is colledled, I think, with
great probability, from a paffage of Micah, a Pro
phet contemporary with Ifaiah, but who begari ta
prophefy after him; and who, as I have already
obferved, imitated him, and fometimes ufed hig _
expreffions. Micah, having delivered that remarka
ble prophecy, which determ.ines the place of the
birth of Mefliah,* " the Ruler of God's people,
" whofe goings forth have been of okl, frcm ever-
" Lifting;" that it fiiould" be jBetiilehem Ephrata;
adds immediatel}-, that neverthelefe, in the meaii
time, Gpd wo-uld deliver his people into the hands
, of their enemies ; "^ he ivill give theni up, till flie,
-" who i^, to bear .-5, child, fhall bring forth."' Mic,
".-3. This obvioufl}' and plainly refers to fome
known prophecy concerning a woman tp bring forth
a cliild ; and feems much more properly ^.pplicable
to this pall'age of Ifaiah, than to any others of the
fame Prophet, to which fome interpreters have ap
plied it. St. Mat'thew therefore- in applying this
prophecy

CHAP. ^11- IS AT AH. 8

prophecy to the birth of Chrift, dt^es rt not merely
in the way of accommodating the words of the Pro
phet to a fuitable cafe not in the Prophet's view ;
but takes it in its ffridleft, cleareft, and moft im
portant fenfe, and applies it according to the origi
nal defign and principal intention of the Prophet.
17. But jehovah win bring] Houbigant reads
>yin^1, from LXX ; aKKoc iitoiln 0 0c.®^ : to' mark the
tranfition to a new fubjedl.
Ibid. Even the king of Affyria — ] Houbigant
fuppofes thefe words to havebeen a marginal glofs,
brought into the text by miftake : and fo likewife
jVrchbp. Seeker. Befides their having no force or
eftedl here, they do not join well in conftrudlion
with the words preceding : as may be feen by the
ftrange manner in which the antient interpreters haye
taken them ; and they very inelegantly foreftall the
mention of the king of Aflyria, which comes in with
great propriety in the 20th verfe. I have therefore
taken the liberty of omitting theni in the tranfla
tion. 18. — hift the fly] See Note on ch. v. 26.
Ibid. Egypt and Affyria] Senacherib, Efarhad
don, Pharao Neclio, and Nebuchadnezzar, who
one after another defolated Judea.
19. — caverns] So x,xx, Syr. Vulg. whence
Houbigant fuppofes the true reading to be D''^n3rT.
20. — the River] That is, the Euphrates ; nnan,
fo read the lxx, and two Mss.
Ibid, jehovah fhall fliave by the hired rafor — ]
To fliave with the hired- rafor the head, the feet,
and the l>eard, is an expreffion highly parabolical ;
to denote the utter devaftation of the country ffom
one end to the other, and the plundering of the peo
ple, from the higheft to the loweft, by the Aflyrians ;
whom God employed as his inftrument to punifh the
Jews. Ahaz himfelf, in the firft place, hired the
G 4 king

88 ' wNOTES ON CHAP. VII,
king of xlffyria to come to help him againft the Sy
rians, by a prefent made to him of all the treafures
C)f the Temple, as well as his own : and God himfelf
confidered the great nations, whom he thus eniT
ployed,' as his mercenaries, and paid them their
wages ; thus he paid Nebuchadnezzar for his fer
vices againfl Tyre, by the conqueft of Egypt : Ezek.
XXIX. 1 8 — ^20. The hairs of the head are thofe of-
the higheft order in the ftate ; thofe of the feet, or
the lower parts, are the common people; the beard
is the king, the high prieft, the ^ery fupreme in,
dignity and majefty. The eafiern people have always
held the beard in the. higheft veneration, and have
been extremely, jealous of its honour. To pluck a
man's beard is an inftance of the greateft indignity
that can be oft'ered. See Ifaiah l. 6. The king of
the Ammonites, to fliew the utmoft contempt qf
David,j ' cut off half the beards of his fervants ; and-
', the men were greatly afliamed : and David l^ade
' them tarry at Jericho till their beards were grown.''
2 Sara. X. 4, 5. Niebuhr, Arabie, p. 275, gives a
modern inflance'of the very fame kind of infult.
'.' The Turks, fays Thevenot, greatly efleem a man
" v.'ho has a fine beard : it is a yqty grea. affront to
" take a man by his beard, unlefs it be tq kifs it :
',' they fwear by the beard." Voyages, i. p. 57,
D'Arvieux gives a rema.rkable inftanqe of an Arab,
v,-]iQ, having received a wound in his \av-f, chofe to
hazard his life, ratiief than fuffer his furgeon to take
off his* beard. Minioires, tqni. iii,, p. 2,14, See
alfo Nitrbuhr, Arabie, p. 61.
The rem.aining veries of this chapter, 21 — 25,
cpntain an elegant and very expreffive defcription of
a country depopulated, and left to run wild, from
its adjundls and circumftances: the vineyards and
cornfields, before well cultivated, now overrun with
briers and thorns ; m.uch grafs, fo that the few cat-
-"^ ''' •-.--• -  ^1^

CHA.P. vn. ISAIAH. 89
tie that are left, a young cow and two flieep, have
their full range, , and abundant pafture ; fo as to
yield milk in plenty to the fcanty familj of the
Owner : the thinly /fcattered people living sot on
corn, wine, and oil, the produce of cultivatiori,
but on milk and honey, the gifts of nature ; and the
whole land given up to the wild beafts ; fo that the
miferable inhabitants are forced to go out armed
with bows and arrows, either to defend themfelves
againft the wild beafts', or to fupply themfelves wifh
neceflayy food by huntingf

CHAP. VIII.
The prophecy ofthe foregoing chapter relates to
the kingdom of Judah only : the firft part of it pro^
mifes them deliverance frorti the united invafion' of
the Ifraelites and Syrians ; the latter part, from v.
17. denounces the defolation to be brought upon,
the kingdom pf J Lidah by the Aflyrians. The 6th,
7th, and 8th, verfes of this chapter, feem to take
in both the kingdoms pf Ifragl and Judah. This
peojale, that refufeth the waters of Silpah, may be
meant of both : the Ifraelites defpifed the kingdom
pf Judah, which they had 4efei'ted, and now at
tempted to deftroy; the people of Judah, from a
confideration of their own weal^nefs, and a diftruft
of God's promifes, beihg reduced- to defpair, apr
plied to the Aftyrians for a-ffiftance againft the tivo
confederate kings. But how could it bp faid of Ju
dah, that they, rejoiced in Retfin, and the fon of
Remaliah, the enemies confederated againft them ?
Ifi fome of the people were incfined tp revolt to the
enemy," which lio-v^ever does not clearly appear firom
any part of the hiflory or the prophecy, yet therg
¦ was

go K-©TES ON CHAI'. vrn,
was nothing like a tendency to a general defedlion.
This therefore muft be underftood oflfraei. The
Prophet denounces the Affyrian invafion, which
..ihould overwhelm the whole kingdom of Ifrael under
Tiglath Pilefer, and Shalirianefer ;' and the fubfe
quent invafion of Judah by the fame power urider
Senacherib, which would bring them into the moft'
imminent danger, like a flood reaching to the neck,
in which a man can but juft keep his head above
water. The two next veries, 9, 10. are addrefled
by the Prophet, as a fubjedl ofthe kingdom of Ju
dah, to the Ifraelites and Syrians ; and perhaps to all
the enemies of God's people ; affuring them, that
their attempts againft ^that kiiRgdom fhall be fruitlefs ;
for that the promifed Immanuel, to whom he al
ludes, by ufing his nanie to exprefs the fignification
ofit, for Gcd is with a^,'." fhall be the defence of the
houfe of David, .and- deliver the kingdom of Judah
out of their hands : he then proceeds to warn the
people of Judiih agairift idolatry, divination, and
the like forbidden pradlices ; to vvhich they were
much inclined, and which would foon bring down
God's judgements 'upon Ifrael. The prophecy con
cludes, -at the 6th- verfe of chap. ix. witli promifes
of bleffings in future' times, by the coming of the
great-Deliverer already pointed out by the name bf
Jmmanuel, whofe perfon and charadler is fet forth
in terms the moft ample and m.agnificent.
And here it may be obferved, that it is almoft the
conftant pradtice of the Prophet to colledl in fike
manner deliverances temporal with fpiritual. Thus
.the xjth chapter, fetting forth the kingdom of Mef
fiah, is clofely f onnedled with the xth, which fore- '
tells the deflrudlion of Senacherib. So likewife the
deftrudlion of nations enemies to God in the xxxivth
chapter, introduces the flourifliing ftate of the king
dom of Chrift in the xxxvth. And tfius' the chap ters.

CHAP. VIII. ISAIAH. 91
ters, from xl to xlix, inclufive, plainly relating
to the deliverance from the Captivity of Babylon, do
in fome parts plainly relate to the gi'eater deliverance
by Chrift.
I . Take unto thee a large mirror — ] The word
yfb:i is not regularly formed firom bb^i, to roll, but
firom nbj ; as ^VIB from n"I3, ivb^ from nbj, ivpi
from npJ, lybv from nbv, &c. the » fupplying the
place of the radical n. n^J fignifies to fhew, to re
veal ; properly, as Schroederus fays, (De Veftitu
Mulier. Hebr. p. 294.) to render clear and bright
by rubbing, to polifh : ]vb2 therefore, according to
this derivation, is not a roll, or volume ; but may
very well fignify a poliflied tablet of metal, fuch as
antiently was ufed for a mirror ; the Chaldee para
phraft renders it by ni^, a tablet : arid the fame word,
though fomewhat differently pointed, the Chaldee
paraphraft and the Rabbins render a mirror, chap.
in. 23. The mirrors of the 'Ifraelitifh women were
, made of brafs finely polifhed, Exod.' xxxvin. 8,
from which place it likewife appears, that what they
ufed were little hand-mirrors, which they carried
with them, even when they affembled at the door of
the Tabernacle. I ,have a metalline mirror found in
Herculaneum, which is not above' three inches
fquare. The Prophet is commanded to take a mir
ror, , or brazen poliflied tablet, not like- thefe little
hand-mirrors, but a large one ; large enough for
him to engrave upon it in deep and lafting charadlers,
'V^m tO"in2, with a workman's graving tool^ the pro
phecy which he was to deliver. I0"in in this place
certainly fignifies an inftrum.ent to wri]te, pr tp en
grave with ; but tonn, the fame word, only differing
a little in form, means fomething belonging to a
lady's drefs, chap, ni- 22. (where however five mss
Icd^ out the •>, whereby only it differs from the
word in this place;) either, a crifping-pin, which might

g% NOTES ON CHAP. VIII.
might be not unlike a graving-tool, as fome will
have it ; or a purfe, as others infer from 2 Kings v.
23. It may therefore be called here W^iH OTn, a
workman's inftrument, to diftinguifh it from tO'lH
n^f*, an infthiment of the fame name ufed by the
women. In this manner he was to record the pro
phecy of the deftrudlion of Damafcus and Samaria
by the Aflyrians : the fubjedl and fum. of which pro-,
phecy is here expreffed with great brevity in four
word's, maher fhalal, hoft) baz; i. e. ",to haflen the
" fpoil, to take quickly the prey :" which are after
wards applied as the name of the Prophet's fon, who
was made a fign of the fpeedy completion of it 5
Maher-flialal Hafh-baz : Hafte"-to-the-fpoil Quick-
to-the-prey. And that it might be done with greater
folemnity, and to preclude all doubt of the real de
livery of the prpphecy before the event, he -calls
witoefles to , atteft the recording of it.
4. For before the child-rr-] The prophecy was
' accordingly accomplifhed within three years ; when ,
Tiglath-Pilefer, king of Affyria, weiit up againft
Damafdus, and took it, and carried the people of it
captive to Kir, and flew Retfin, and alfo took the
Reubenites, and the Gadites, and tfie half tribe of
.Manaffeh, and carried them captive, to Aflyria, a
.Kings XVI. 9. XV. 29., i Chron, v. 26.
6, 7. Becaufe this people have rej-s^dted-^] The
- gentle waters of Siloah, a fmall fountain and brook
juft without Jerufalem, which fupplied a pool within
the city for the ufe of the inhabitants, is an apt ems-
¦blem of die ftate of the kingdom and houfe of Da
vid, much reduced in its apparent ftrength, yet fup
ported by the bleffing of God : and is finely con
trafted with the waters of the Euphrates, great, ra
pid, and impetuous ; the image of the Babylonian
empire, which God threatens to bring down, like a
pi'ghty flood, upon ajl thefe apoftates pf bpth king
doms,

CHAP. vm. ISAIAH. ^J
doms, as a puriifhment fof their manifold iniquities,
and their contempntous diffegard of his promil'es.
The brook and the river are put for the kingdoms,
to which they belong, and the different ftates of
which refpedlively they moft aptly repref"ent. Juve
nal, inveighingagainfl the corruption of Rome by
the iiriportation of Afiatic manners, fays, with great
elegarice, that the Ofontes has been long difcharging
itfelf into the Tiber :
" Jampridem Syrus in Tiberim 'defluxit Orontes."
And. Virgil, to exprefs the fubmiffion of foiue of the!
eaftern countries to the Roman arms, fays, that the
waters of Euphrates now flowed more humbly and
gently: — " Euphrates ibat jam mollior undis." Aln.
VIII. 726. But the happy contraft between the
. brook and the river gives a peculiar beauty to thi.s
paffage ofthe Prophet, with which the fimple figure
HI the Roman poets, however beautiful, yet uncon
trafted, cannot contend.
8. Even to the neck fliall he reach] He compares
Jerufalem (fays Kimchi) to the head in the human
body: as when the watfrs come up to' a man's neck,
he is very near drowning ; for a litde increafe of
them would go over his head; fo the king of Affyria
coming up to Jerufalem was like a flood reaching to
the neck; the whole country was overflowed, and
tiie capital was in imminent danger. Accordingly
the Chaldee renders reaching to ih: neck,- by reach
ing to Jerufalem.
9. Know ye this] God by his Prophet plainly
declares to the confederate adverfaries of Judah, and
bids them regard and attend to his declaration, tlat
all their efforts fhall be in vain. The prefent reading
lj;n, is fubjedl to many difficulties : I follow that o^
the LXX, "lyn, yi'i^'Tf. Archbifhop Secker approve^
this reading, lyn, know ye this, is parallel and fyno^
nymoUg

94' -NOTESON CHAP. VIII. '
nymous to Wi^h, give ear to it, in the next line.
The LXX have likewife very well paraphrafed the
conclufion of this verfe ; ' ' when ye have flrengthened
"yourfelves, ye fliall be broken; and though ye
" again ftrengthen yotirfelves, again fhall ye be
" broken;" taking irin as meaning the fame with.
rsyvi.. ' ¦ ', ' ¦
II. As taking me by the hand] Eleven ]\iss (two
Antient) read npm3 : and fo Sym, Syr. Vulg.
12. Say^^et not,' It is holy — ] "ityp. Both the -
reading and the fenfe of this word are doubtful. The
LXX manifeftly read nii'p ; for they render it by
o-kAti^ov, hard. Syr. and Chald. render it Nmt3 and
T1"K3, rebellion. How they came by this fenfe of the
word, or what they read in their copies, is npt fo
clear. But the worft of it is, that neither of thefe
readings, or renderings, gives any clear fenfe in this
place. For why fliould God forbid his faithful fer
vants, to fay with the unbelieving Jews, it is hard ;
or, there is a rebellion ; or, as our Tranflators render '
it, a confederacy ? And how can this be called,
" walking in the way of this people," ver. 1 1. whrdi
ufually means, following their example; joining
with them in religious worfhip ? Or what confede
racy do they mean ? the union of the kingdoms of
Syria and Ifrael againft Judah } That was properly a
league between two independent ftates ; not an un
lawful confpiracy of one part againft another in the
fame ftate ; this is the meaning -of the word "W^.
For want of any fatisfadlory interpretation of this
place, that I can meet with, I adopt a conjedlure of
Archbifhop Secker, which he propofes with great
diffidence ; and even feems immediately to give up,
as being deftitute of any authority to fupport it. I
will give it in his own words: " Videri poteft ex
" cap. V. 1 6. & hujus cap. 13, 14, 19. legendum
" Uflp, vel ipnp, eadem fententiaj qua ¦)yn'?N, Hof^

CHAP. VIII. ISAIAH. 95
" XIV. 3. Sed nihil neceffe eft. Vide enim Jer.
" XI. 9. Ezek. xxn. 25. Optime tamen fie refpon-
" derent huic verficulo verficuli 13, 14." The paf
fages of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, above referred tp,
feem to me not at all to clear up the fenfe of the
word "Wp in this place. But the context greatly fa
vours the conjedlure here given, and makes it highly
probable : " walk not in the way of this people ; call
" not their idols holy; nor fear ye the objedl of
¦" their fear : (that is, the an^cxa^osra, or gods of
*' the idolaters : for fo fear, here, fignifies, to wit,
" the thing feared ; fo God is called " the Fear of
" Ifaac :" Gen. xxxi. 42. 53.) but look up to je-
" HOVAH as your Holy One ; and let Him be your
"Fear, and let Him be your dread; and He fhall
" be a holy refuge unto you." Plere there is a har
mony and confiftency running through the \vhole
fentence ; and the latter part naturally arifes out of
the former, and anfwers to it. Obferve, that the
difference between ityp and . Wp is chiefly in thg
tranfpofition of the two laft letters ; for the letters l
and n are hardly diftinguifhable in fome copies,
printe,d as well as mss : fo tiiat the miftake, in re
fpedl of the letters themfelves, is a very eafy and a
very common one.
14. And He fhall be unto you a fandluary.] The
word IDZib, unto you, abfolutely neceffary, as I con
ceive, to the fenfe, is loft in this place : it is pre
ferved by the Vulgate ; " & erit vobis in fandlifica- '
" tionem :" the lxx ha-ve it in the fingftlar num
ber ; igoii (TOI £ig (xytoio-fjiov. Or elfe, inftead of 'snpl2,
a fanbluary, we muft read lypiD, a fnare, wiucii
would then be repeated, without any propriety or
elegance, "at the end of the verfe : the Chaldee reads
inftead of it D3{£/a, judgement ; for he rendera it by
TTIB, which word frequently anfwers to DSZtD in his
Pa-

95 NOTESON fcHAP. Vill,
Paraphrafe. A ms has (inftead of pK*?! Wipti)
ps!? Dn"? ; which clears the fenfe and conltrudtion.
But the reading of the Vulgate is, I think, the beft
reriiedy to this difficulty; and is in fome degree au
thorifed by G7)b, the reading of the ms above men
tioned. i6. among my difciples] "nob^. " The lxx
render it, m jy-yj ^oikiv. " Bifhop Chandler, Defence
" of Chriftianity, p. 308, thinks they read no^D,
" that il be not underjtood; and approves this read-
" ing." Archbifhop secker.
18. God of Hofts] A MS reads mNni: rrbii.
19. Should they feek — ] After ©IT, the lxx,
repeating the word, read ttmTT: Ouk. iSvog wfoc Bsov
Kina r/i^rirritrao-i ; n Vi^YiTri(TiSTt rsipt ruv ^ciivruv 'rag nxpifg ;
and this repetition ofthe verb feem.s neceffary to the
fenfe; and,' as Procopius on the place obferves,
it ftrongly expreffes the Prophet's indignation at
their folly.
20. Unto the command, and unto the teftiirio-
ny — '] " Is not miyn here the attefted prophecy,
-\er. I — 4? and perhaps miD the command, ver.
II — 15? for it means fometimes a particular, and
even a human command : fee Prov. vi. 20. and vn.
I, 2. where it is ordered to be hid, that is, fecretly
kept." Archbifliop secker. So Defchamps in his
Tranflation, or rather Paraphrafe, underftand? it,:
" tenons-nous a I'inftrument authenti.que, mis en
depot par ordre du Seigneur." If this be .right, the
1 6th verfe*muft be underftood' in the fame manner.
Ibid. In which there is no obfcurity] "iniiN as
an adjedtive, frequently fignifies dark, obfcure . and
the noun "iniy fignifies darknefs, gloominefs ^ Joel 11
2. if we may judge by the context :
" A day of darknefs and obfcurity ;
" Of cloud, and of thick vapour ; '«As

CHAP. VIII. tsAlAHi ^^f
'" As the glopm fpread upon the mountains :
" A people migh|^ and numerous ;"
Where the gloom, inty, feems to be the fame with
the cloud and thick vapour, mentioned in the lini
preceding: 'fee Lam. iv. 8. Job 3ixx'. 30. See this
meaning of the word inty weU fupported in Chrifti.
Mulier Satura Obfervationuiri Philolog. p. 53^ Lugdi
Bat. 1752. The morning feeriis to be an idea wholly
iricongruous in the paffage df Joel. And in this of
Ifaiah, the words, ' ' in which there is no morning,"
(for fo it ought to be rendered, if "inii? in this place
fignifies, accordirig to its ufual fenfe, morning) feeni
to give no meaning at all. " It is becaufe there is no
light in them," fays our Tranflation : if there be dny
fenfe in thefe words, it is not the fenfe of the origi-;
nal ; which cannot juftly be fo tranflated. Qui n'a
rien d'obfcur. , Defchamps. The reading of lxx^
and Syr. 1XW, gift, affords not any affiftance towards
the clearing up of this difficult place.
21. — diftrefTed — ^] Inftead of XWpy, diflreffed',
the Viilg. Chald. and Syin. manifeftly read b'O'^lj
¦ ftianbling, totteriw^; through weaknefs, ready to fall;
a fenfe which fuits very well with the place.
22. And he fhall caft his eyes upward—^] The
learned profeflbr Michaelis, treating of this place,
(Not. in De S. Poef. Hebr. Prsel. ix.) refers to a
paffage in the Koran, which is firriilar to it. As it
is a very celebrated jpaffage, and on many accounts
remarkable, I fhall give' it here at large, with the
fame author's further remarks upon it in another
place of his writings. It muft be noted here, that
the learned Profeflbr renders MJ in this and the pa
rallel place, chap. v. 30. -W'hich I tranflate he losketh^
by // thundertth, from Schultens, Orig. Ling. Hebr.
lib. I. chap. II. of the juftnefs of which rendering I
much doubt. This brings the image of Ifaiah more'
" VOL. II: H nearj

¦;^8 irOTfiS ON .CHAP. VIIA
near, in one circumftance, to that of Mohammed,
than it appears to be in riiy tranflation :
. ''" Labid, contemporary with Mohammed, the laft
ofthe feven Arabian poets, who had the honour of
having their poems, one of each, hung up in the
- entrance of the Temple of Mecca, ftruck with the
fublimity of a paffage iri the Koran, became a con
vert to Mohammedifm ; for he concluded, that no
mart could write in fuch a manner, unlefs he were
divinely infpired."
" One muft have a curiofity tp examine a paflagq
which had fo great an effedl upon Labid. It is, I
muft own, the fineft that I know in the whole, Ko
ran : but I fcarce think it will have a fecond time
the like eftedl, fo as to tempt any one of my readers
to fubmit to circumcifion. If is in the fecond chap
ter ; where he is fpeaking of certain apoftates from
the Faitii. 'They are like, faith he, to a man,
who kindleth a light. As foon as it begins to fhine,
God takes from them the light, and leaves them in
darknefs, that they fee nothing. They are deaf,,
dumb, and blind; arid return not into the right
way. Or they fare, as when a cloud, full of dark-'
nefs, thunder, and lightning, covers the heaven :
when it burfteth, they ftop their ears with their
. fingers, with deadly fear ; and God hath , the unbe
lievers in his power. The lightning almoft robbeth
them of their eyes : as often as it flafheth, they go
on by its light ; and when it vanifheth in darknel"s,
they ftand ftiU. If God pleafed, they would retain
neither hearing, nor fight.' That the thought is
beautiful, no one will deny : and Labid, who had
probably a mind to flatter Mohammed, was lucky
in finding a paffage in the Koran, fo little abpunding
iri poetical beauties, to which his converfion might
with any propriety be afcribed. It was well, that
he w^ent no further; otherwife his tafte for poetry
4 might

CHAP. vni. ''ISAfAil. ^9
might -have made him again an infi'del." Michaelis,
Erpenii Arabifche Grammatik abgekurzt, Vorrede,
£-32. 23. — accumulated darknefs] : Either nfnJD, Fem.
to agree with n^BK* ; or mian b^H, alluding perhaps
to the palpable Egyptian darknefs, Exod. x. 21.
Ibid. The land of Zebulon — '] Zebulon, Naph
thail, Manaffeh, that is, the country of Galilee all
round the fea of Genefareth, were the parts that
principally fuffered in the firft Affyrian invafion un
der Tiglath Pilefer: fee 2 Kings xv. 29. i Chron.
V. 26. Andj^they were the firft that enjoyed the
bleffing of (mrift's preaching the Gofpel, and ex
hibiting his miraculous works among them. -See
Mede's Works, p. 10 1, and 457.

CHAP. IX.

2. Thou haft increafed -their joy] Eleven mss
(two Antient) read lb, according to the Maforetical
corredlion..
Ibid, —as vvith, the joy of harveft] vT-lUpn nnna'3.
For y^p2 a MS has "y^p, and another l^ifpn : one of
which feems to be the true .reading,^ as the noun pre
ceding is z?z regimine.
4. The greaves of the armed warriour] ]«D pXD.
This word, ocairring only in this place, is- of very
doubtful fignification. _ Schindler fairly tefis us, that
we may guefs at it by the context. The Jews have
explained it, by guefs I believe, as fignifying /^-a///^,
conftiEt : ' the Vulgate renders it violenta prad'atio.
But it feems as if fomething was rather meant, which
was capable of becoming fuel for the fire, together
with the garments mentioned in the fam.e fentence.
H 2, fn

lOO notes OK CHAP. LX,
In Syriac the word, as a noun, fignifies a ftee,. or
afdndal, as a learned Friend fuggefted to me fome,
years ago : fee Luke xv. 22. Adls xn. 8. I take it
therefore to mean that part of the armour which co-vered
the legs and feet, and I would render the two words
in Latin by caliga caligati. The burriing of heaps of
armour, gathered from the field of battle, as an of
fering iriade to the god fuppofed to be the giver of
vidlory, was a cuftom that prevailed among foirie
heathen nations ; and the Romans ufed it as an em
blem of peace : which perfedlly well fuits with the
defign of the Prophet in this place. A,medal, ftruck
by Vefpafian on finifliing his wars botl| at home and
. ^broad, reprefents the goddefs Peace, holding an
olive branch in one hand, and with a lighted torch
in th'e other fetting fire to a heap of armour. Virgil
mentions the cuftom :
"Cum primarn aciem Praenefle fub ipfa
*' Stravi, fcutorumque incendi viftor acervos." .^En. vm. 561.
See Addifon on Medals, Series 11. 18. And there
are notices of fome fuch pradlice among the Ifraelites,
and other nations of the moft early times. God
promifes to Jofhua vidlory over the kings of Ca
naan : " to morrow I will deliver them up all flain
before Ifrael: thou fhalt hough their horfes, and
burn their chariots with fire." Jof xi. 6. See alfo;
Nahum n. 13. And the Pfalrriift employs this image
to exprefs complete vidlory, and a perfedl eftablifh
ment of peace :
" He maketh wars to ceafe, even to the end of the land :
" He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the fpear in fundei;;
*• And burneth the chariots in the fire." Pi". ,xlvi. g.
nbyS-: property pldufira, the baggage-waggons : which
however the lxx and Vulg. render fcuta, ftields;'
and Ciiald. round ftfields, to fhew the propriety of
¦ that

CHAP. IX. ISAIAH. lOI
that fenfe bf the word from the etymology ; which,
if admitted, makes the image the fame with that ufed
by the Romans:
Ezekiel, in his bold manner, has carried this
image to a degree of amplification, which, I think,
hardly any other of the Hebrew poets would have
•attcmlited. He defcribes the burning of the arms of
the enemy, in confequence of the complete vidlory
to be obtained by the Ifraelites over Gog and Ma
gog :
*' Behold, it is come to pafs, and it is done:
" Saith the Lord jehovah.
*' This is the day, of which I fpake :
*' And the inhabitants of the cities of Ifrael fhall go
"forth;
" And fhall fet on fire the armour, and the fhield,
" And the buckler, and the bow, and the arrows,
•' And the clubs, and the lances ;
*' And they fhall fet them on fire for feven years :
" And they fhall not bear wood from the field ;
" Neither fhall they hew from the foreft :
" For of the armour fhall they make their fires j
" And they fhall fpoil their fpoilers,
' " And they fhall plunder their plunderers." Ezek. XXXIX. 8— rib.
5. The go-vernment fhall be upon his fhoulder.]
That is', the enfign of government; ; the fceptre, the
fword, the key, or the like, which was born upon
or hung from the fhoulder. See Note on chap.
XXII. 22.
Chap, IX. 7. — Chap. X. 4.] This whole paffage,
reduced to its prpper and intire form, and healed of
the diflocation, which it fuffers by the abfurd divi
fion of the chapters, makes a diftindl prophecy, and
a juft poem ; remarkable for the regularity of its
difpofition, and the elegance of its plan. It has no
relation to the preceding or the following prophecy ;
though the parts, violendy torn afunder, have been,
H 3 . <^Q

103 NQTES OU C.HAP. IXiO
on the one fide and the other, patched on to them.
Tfiofe relate principally to the kingdom of Judah ;
this is addreffed exclufively to the kingdom of Ifrael. ,
The fubjedl of it is , a denunciation of vengeance
awaiting their crimes. It is divided into four parts, ;
each threatening the particular punifhment of fome
grievous offence:, of their pride ; of their perfe-;
verance in their- vices ; of their impiety ; and, of their
injuftice. To which is, added a general denunciation
"of a further referve of divine wrath, contained in a
diftich, before ufed by the Prophet on a like occa
fion, chap. V. 45. and here repeated after each part :
this makes the intercalary verfe of the poem, or, , as
we call it, the burthen of the fong.
" Poft hoc comma (cap. x. 4.) interponitur fpa
tium unius lineae, in cod. 2 8r 3 ; idemque: obferva
tur in 245, in quo nullum eft fpatium ad finem ca
pitis IX." Kennicott, Var. Ledl.
7. jehovah] For ''jnK, t)iirty mss and three
Editions read nw.
8. — carry themfelves haughtily] 1J;T>1, and they
fhall know : fo ours, and the , Verfions in general.
But what is it, that they fhall know ? The verb
ftands deftitute. of its objedl; and the fenfe is im
perfedl. The Chaldee is the only one, as far as I
can, find, that expreffes it otherwife. He renders t
the verb in this place. by imnnriKI, they exalt them
felves, or carry themfelves haughtily \ the . fame word
by which he renders XVl'i,, chap, in. 16. He fe;ems
therefore in this place to have read '5n3J''1 ; wluch-
agrees perfedlly well , with what follows, and clears
up the difficulty. Archbifhop Secker conjedlured
•naTI, referring it to iisn!? in the next verfe ; whicli
fhews, that 'he was not fatisfied with the prefent
reading. Houbigant reads lyn^i, et pravi fadi funt ;
which is found in a ms : but I prefer the reading of
the

•dHAP. IX*. ¦ 'isaiah.

103

the Chaldee, which fuits much, better with the
context. •9. The bricks — ] ''The eaftern bricks, (fays
Sir John Chardin, fee Harmer Obferv. i. p. 176.)
are only clay well moiftened with water, and mixed
with ftraw, and dried in the fun." So that their
.walls are commonly no better than bur mud-walls:
fee Maundrell, p. 124. That ftraw was a neceffary
part in the compofition of this fort of bricks, to
make the parts ofthe clay adhere together, appears
from Exodus, ch. v. Thefe bricks are- properly
oppofed to hewn ftone, fo greatiy fuperior in beauty
and durablenefs. The fycamores, which, as Jerom
on the place fays, are timber of little worth, with
equal propriety are oppofed to the cedars. '" As
" the grain and texture of fycamore is remarkably
" coarfe and fpongy, it could therefore ftand in no
" competition at all (as it is obferved. If. ix. 10.)
" with the cedar for beauty and ornament,'' Shaw,
Supplement to Travels, p. 96. We meet ,with the
fame oppofition of cedars to fycamores, i Kings x.
27. -where Solomon is faid to have made filver as the
ftones, and cedars as the fycamores in the vale, for
abundance. By this ^naftal, or figurative and fen
tentious, fpeech, they boaft, that they fhall eafily be
abl? to repair their prefent loffes, fuffered perhaps
by the firft Affyriari invafion under Tiglath-Pilefer ;
and tp bring their affairs to a more flourifhing con
dition than ever.
10. — the princes of Retfiri againft him] For
>12J, enemies, Houbigant by conjedlure reads ^*it£^,
princes; which is confirmed by twenty-one mss,
(two Antient,) and nine more have u upon a rafure,
and therefore had probably at firft '>~)ty. The princes
of Retfin, the late ally pf Ifrael, that -is, the Syrians,
expreffly named in the next verfe, fhall now be ex
cited againft Iftae}.-
H 4 The

104 notes. ON ^HAP. IX,
The i<xx in this place give us another variation ;
for f^'^, they read IVS "in, o^og '^mv, mount Sion ; of
which this may be the fenfe : but jehovah fhall fet
up the adverfaries of moqut Sion againft him? (i- 'e.
againft Ifrael) and w\\\ ftrengthen his enemies togCr
fher : the Syrians— the fhiliftines^— who are called
the adverfarips pf mount Sion. See'Simonis Lex. in
voce ipp.
II. -T-on pvery fide] nD "731, in every corner;
in every part of their country, purfuipg them to the
remoteft extremities, and the moft retired parts,. Sp
the Chald. iJii* ^33, in every place.
13. — in one day] Eight mss read tDVl; and
another has a rafure in the, place of the letter 3.
16. jEHoyAH] For y^K, eighteen ms^- fead
HT!'- . ' ' ' .
17. For wickednefs — ] Wickednefs rageth like
a fire, deftroying and laying Wafte the nation : but
it fliall be its own deftrudlion, by bringing down
the fire of God's wrath, vv'hich fhall burn up the
briers and the thorns ; that is, the wicked them
felves. Briers and thorns are ari image frequently
appfied in Scripture ; when fet on fire, to the rage
of the wicked, violent, yet impotent, and of no.
long cqntinuance : " They are extindl as the fire of
':^ thorns." Pf cxvin. 12. to the wicked t]|em-
fehes, as ufelefs and unprofitable, proper objedls of
God's wr.ath, to be burned up, or driven away by
the wind: "' As thorns cut up, they fliall be con-
f'fumpdin the fire." If xxxni. 12. Both thefe
^deas feem to be joined in Pf lviii. 9.
" Before your pots fhall feel the thorn,
. " As well the green as the dry, the tc.mpell fligH bear
" them away."
The green and the dry is a proverbial expreffion,
meaning all forts of them, gopd and bad, great and
6 fmall,

CHAP. JX. '' ISAIAH. ¦ 10$
fmall, &c. So Ezekiel: "Behold, Iwill kindle a
*' fire', and it fhall devour every green tree, and
" every dry tree." Chap. xx. 47. D'Herbelot quotes
a Perfian poet, defcribing a peftilence under the
image of a conflagration : " This was a lightning
" that, falling upon a foreft, confumed there the
*' green wood with the dry." See Harmer Obfer,
II. p. 187. -
19. rr— the flefh pf his rteighbour] Tov ^poixiovog
*' rov oihK(pov umov, lxx Alexand. Duplex verfio,
" quarum altera legit iy"), quse vox extat Jer. vi.
** 21. Nam yT, oihX>pog, Gen. xliii. Of^. Redle,
*' ni fallor." secker. I add to this excellent re
mark, that the Chaldee manifeftly reads iy~), not
iy"1? ; for he renders it by n^l''*1p, his neighbour. And
Jeremiah has the very fame expreffion : "W^ t^W
1'7^^*'' inV"), " And every one fliall eat the flefh of
"his neighbour." Ch. xix- 9. This obfervation, I
think, gives the true reading and fenfe of this place :
and the context ftrongly confirms it, by explaining
the general idea by particular inftances, in the fol
lowing verfe : " Ever jr man fhall devour the flefh of
" his neighbour; (that is, they fliall harrafs and
^* deftroy one another;) Manaffeh fhall devour
" Ephraim, and Ephraim Manafleh ; (which two
" tribes were moft clofely connedled both in blood
*' and fituation, as brothers and neighbours ;) and
*' both of them in the midft of their own diffenftons
" fliall agree in preying upon Judah." The com
mon reading, " fhall devour the flefh of his Own
" arm," in connexion with what follows, feems to
make either an inconfiftency, or an anticlimax:,
whereas by this corredlion the following verfe be-
pomes an elegant illuftration of the foregoing.

CHAP,

16(5 NO.TES OK CHAP-.

xl

C H A P. X,
4. Without me — J That is, withouf my aid,
they fhall be taken captive even by the , captives,
and fhall be,fubdued by the vaiiquiflied. "¦The>
" in ¦ilb'i is apronoun, as in Hof. xin. 4," Kim-i
chi on the place.
5. Ho to "the Affyrian—] Here begins a new
and diftipdl prophecy ; continued to the end of the
xnth chapter: and it appears from v. 9 — 11. of
this chapter, that ^this prophecy was delivered aftes
the taking of Samaria by Shalmanefer ; which was in
the' fixth year of the reign of Hezekiah : and as the
former part of it foretells the invafion of Senacherib,
and the deftrudlion of his army, which makes the
whole fubjedl of this chapter, it muft have been de-.
livered before the fourteenth of the fame reign.
, Ibid. The ftaff in whofe hand] . The word Kin in ,
this place feems to embarrafs the fentence. I omit
it on the authority ofthe Alexandrine, copy of lxx;
and five mss, (two Antient,) for Kin JTi&D'), read'
inDp. Archbifliop Secker was not fatisfied with the
prefent reading: he propofes another method of
clearing up the fenfe ; by reading DVl inftead of
DTI : " And he is a ftaff zm ihe day of mine indigr-
" nation." 12. jehovah] For »3l>i, fourteen mss, and
.three Editions, read T\'\TV.
Ibid, —the effea — ^] " *-)9, £ tyi, vid. xm.
" 19. fed confer Prov. i. 31. xxxi. 16. 31."
SECKER. The Chaldee renders the word nSJ, by
'^2V, opera ; wfiich feems to be the true fenfe : and
J have followed it. 13-

^HAP. X., . I S A I A il.- tOf,
¦ 13. —ftrongly — ] Twelve mss agree with thei
Keri in reading T-aD, without the K. And S. b..
Melec and Kimchi thus explain it : " them, who
" dwelled in a great and ftrong place, I have brought
" down to the ground."
15. — its mafter] J have here given the meaning,
without attempting to keep to the expreflion of the-
original ; YV iP, " the no-wood ;" that which is not
wood like itfelf, but of a different and fuperior na
ture. The Hebrews h'ave a peculiar way of joining
the negative particle k"? to a noun, to fignify in a
ftrong manner a total negation of the thing expreffed
by the noun.
" How haft thou given help HD J*^^, to the no-
" ftrength ?
" And faved the arm TJ^ i^b, ofthe no-power ?
" How haft thou given counfel no^H i<^^) to the
" no-wifdom?"
That is, to the riian totally deprived of ftrength,
power, and wifdom. Job xxvi. a, 3.
" Ye that rejoice 121 i^tbb, in no-thing."
That is, iri your fancied ftrength, which is none at
all, a mere non-entity. Amos vi. 13.
" For I am God, Itf'ii ^*'?^, and no-man ;
" The Holy One in. the midft of thee, yet do not
s " frequerit cities." Hofea xi. 9.
" And the Aflyrian fliaU faU-by a fword K;'•^» iib,
" of no-man;
" And a, fword of DIJ* ikb, no-mortal, fhafl de-
" vouT him." • If. XXXI. 8.
*' Wherefore do ye weigh out your filver nn"? K1^3,
" for the np-bread." If lv. 2.
So

td8 NOTES ON CHAP. X.
^ herp YJ? i^b me^ns him, who is far from being an
inert piece of wood ; but is an anirriated and adlive
being; not an inftrument, but an agent.
.. r6. tehovahJ For •>T)ii, fifty-two mss, and
fix Editions, read nin*.
. Ibid. And under his glory] That is, all that he
could boaft of as great and ftrong in his army : (Sal.
b. Melec in loc.) expreffed afterwards, v. i8. by the
glory of his foreft, and of fruitful field.
¦ 17, 1 8. And he ihall burn and confume his
thorn — 1 . The briers and thorns are the common,
people'; the glory of his foreft are the nobles, and
thofe of higheft rank and importance. See Note on
chap- IX. 17. and compare Ezek. xx. 47. The fire
of God's wrath fliall deftroy tiiem both great and
finall, it fhall confume th-em from the foul to the fleft;
a proverbial qxpreffion; foul and body, as we fay; it
Ihall confume them intirely and altogether. .And
the few that efcape fliall be looked upon as having^
efcaped from the moft imminent danger % "as a
*' fi-rebrand plucked out of the fire-:" Amos iv. 11.
tkg OM ¦srvpog, 1 Cof. in. 15. as a man, when a, houfe
'is burning, is forced to make his efcape by running
tlirough the midft of the fire. ,
I follow here the reading of the lxx ; DD3 ti^NM,
It" -J (fj-j'/wy. oc'^o (pKoyog Kcy.tofji.swig. .Symmachus al-fo
readers the latter word by (psvyoov.
22, 23. For though thy people, O Ifrael — '] Ihave
endeayoured to keep tp the letter of the text, as nearly
as I can, in this obfcure paffage. But it is remarka
ble,, that neither the lxx, nor'"St. Paul, Rom. ix.
28. who, except in a few words of no great impor
tance, follows them nearly in this place, nor any
one of the antient Verfions, take any notice of the
i^'ord '^Wp^ overflowing ; which feenis to give an idea
npt eafily reconcileable with thofe witii which it is^
here joined. I. S. Moeriius (Schol, Philolog. ad Se
ledla

CHAP. X. ISAIAH. log
ledla S. God. loca) conjedlures, that the two laft
letters of this word are by miftake tranfpofed, and
that the true reading is asty, judging with ftridl juf
tice. The LXX might think this fufficiently ex-
preffed by £1/ 5;K«wcrwit]. A ms, with St. Paid .and
LXX Alex, omits *a in the 22d verfe : fixty-nine jm:s,
and fix Editions, omit b^ in the 23d verfe : and £0
St. Paul, Rom. IX. 28.
The learned Dr Bagot, Dean of Chriftchurch,
Oxford, in fome obfervations on this place, which.
he has been fo kind as to communicate to me, and
which .will appear in their proper light, when he
himfelf fhall give them to the public, renders the
word Xlh2 by accomplifhment, and makes it refer to
the predidlions of Mofes ; the bleffing and the curfe,
which he laid before tiie people ; both conditional,
and depending on their future condudl. They had
by their difobedience incurred thofe judgements
which were now to be fully executed upon them.
His tranflation is: "The accomplifhment deter-
" miried overflows with juftice; for it is accorri-
" plifhed, and that which is determined the Lord
*' God of hofts doeth in the midft of the land."
24 and 26. — in the way of Eg5pt] I think there
is a defigned ambiguity in thefe words. Senacherib,
foon after his return from his Egyptian expedition,
which, I imagine,' took him Up three years, invefted,
Jerufalem. He is reprefented by the Prophet as fift-
ing up his rod in his march from Egypt, and
threatening the people of God, as Pharaoh and the
Egyptians had done, when they purfued them to the-
Red Sea. But God in his turn will fift up his rod.
over the fea, as he did at that time, in the way, or
after the manner, of Egypt : and as Senacherib has
imitated the Egyptians in his threats, and came full
of rage againft them from the fame quarter ; fo God
will adl -over again the fame part, that he had takeri for-

'iXO JTO'TES ON CHAP. X.
formerly in Egypt, and overthrow their .enemies in
as fignal a manner. It was, all to be, both the at
tack and' the deliverance, "|mi, or "["nD, as a ms
-has it in each place, in the way-, or, after the man
ner, of Egypt.
25. mine indignation] Indignatio mea, Vulg. jj
¦cpyri, LXX. jwa- 5; vpyri jj Koircz era, MS. Pachom. [j,h
n opyi^ Kara tr^ MS. 1 D. 11. So that '•Dyr, or Oytn, as
.a MS has it, feem-s to be- the true readirig.
r-' 26. And like his rod which he lifted up over the
fea] The Jewifh interpreters fuppofe here an efiip-
fis of D, the particle of fimilitude, before 1ni213, to
be fupplied frorn the line' above : fo that here are
two fimilitudes ; one comparing the deftrudlion of
.the Affyrians to the flaughter of the Midianites at
the rock of Oteb ; the other to that of the Egyptfaris
at the Red Sea. Aben Ezra, Kimchi, Salomo b.
Melec. 27. — rfrom off your fhoulders] I follow here the
LXX, who, for "piv ""JSia, read tD'yoyD'O, airo ruv
ctijAoov vp.cov^ not being able to make any good fenfe
out of the prefent reading. I will add here the mar
ginal conjedlures of Archbifhop Secker, whp ap-,
•pears, like all others, to have been at a lofs for .a
probable interpretation of the text as it now ftands.
" 0. leg. aoiy ; forte legend, pty >i2a. vid. cap. v. i.
" Zech. IV; 14. Et poffunt intelligi Judaei undli
" Dei. Pf cv. 15. vel Affyrii C2avn, hic v. 16.
" ut dicat Propheta depulfum iri jugum ab his im-
" pofitum : fed hoc durius. Vel potefl legi *iati^ »23a;"
SECKER. ^28 — 32. He is come to Aiath — '] A defcription
of the march of Senacherib's army approaching Je
rufalem in order to inveft" it, and of the terror and
confufion fpreading and increafing through the fe
veral places, as he advanced ;• expreffed vrith great-
brevity, but finely diiverfified. - The places here
men-.

«HAP. X. ISAI AH. -Ill
m-Cntioncd are all in the neighbourhood bf Jerufa
lem; from Ai northward, to Nob weftward of it;
from which laft place he might- ppabably have a
profpedl of mount Sion. Anathoth was within three
•Roman miles -of Jerufalem; according to Eufebius,
Jerom, and Jofephus: Onomaft. Loc' Hebr. & An
tiq. Jud._x. 7. 3. Nob probably ftill nearer. And
it fhould feem from this'paffage of Ifaiah, that Se
nacherib's army was deftroyed neir the latter pf thefe
places. In coming out of Egypt, he might perhaps
.join the reft of his army at Aflidod, after the_ taking
of that place, which happened about that time ; (fee
chap, xx.) and march from thence near the cPaft
by Lachifh and Libnah, which lay in his way, from
South to North, and both v/hich he invefled, till he
came to the north weft of Jerufalem ; croffing over
to the Norj:h of it-, perhaps by ijoppa and Lydda,
or ftill more Nortli through the plain of Efdraelon.
29. They have paffed the ftrait — '] The ftrait
here mentioned is that of Michirias ; a very narrow
paflage between two fliarp hills or rocks ; fee i Sam.
fxiv. 4, 5. where a great army might haye been op
pofed with advantage by a very inferior force. -The
author of the Book of Judith might perhaps mean
this pafs, at leafl among others: "Charging them
^' tokeepthe paflages of the hill country; for by
" them there was an entrance into Judea, and it was
" eafy to ftop them that would come up ; becaufe
" the paflage was ftrait, fbr two meri at the moft."
Judith IV. 7. The enemies having pafled tlie ftrait
without oppofition fhevifs, that all thoughts of
making a ftand in tiie open country were, given up,
and that their' only refource was in the, ftrength of
the city.
Ibid, —their lodging — J The fenfe feems ne
ceffarily to require, that we read. ID^, inflead of 13^.
Thefe two words are in other places miftaken- one for

X12 NOTES ON CHAP. X.
for the other. Thus If xliv. 7. for •)»•?, read 13^,
with, the Chaldee : and in the fame manner Pf lxiv.
6. with Syr. and Pf lxxx. 7. on the authority of
LXX, and Syr. befide the neceflSty of the fenfe.
30. Hearken unto her, O Laifh ; anfwer her, O
Anathoth !] I foUow in this the Syriac verfion. The
Prophet plainly alludes to the name ofthe place ; and
with a peculiar propriety, if it had its name from its
remarkable echo: " iliruy, refponfiones : eadem ra-
" tio nominis, quse in naj^-r)''!, locus echus; nam
" hodienum ejus rudera oftenduntur in valle, fcil. in
*''medio montium, ut referunt ¦ Robertus in Itiner..
"70. & Monconnyfius, p. 301." Simonis Ono- -
mafticon Vet. Teft. CHAP. XI.
The Prophet had defcribed the deftrudlion of the -
Affyrian army under the image of a mighty foreft, .
confifting of flourifhing trees, growing thick toge
ther, and of a great highth; of Lebanon itfelf
crowned with lofty cedars ; but cut down, and laid
level with the ground, by the ax, wielded by the ,
hand of fome powerful and illuftrious agent : in op
pofition to this image he reprefents the great perfon,
who makes the fubjedl of this chapter, as a flender
twig, fhooting out from the trunk of an old tree,
cut down, lopped to the very root, and decayed :
Vvfhich tender plant, fo weak in appearance, fhould
neverthelefs become fruitful and profper. This con
traft fhews- plainly the connexion between this and
the preceding chapter ; which is moreover expreffed
by the connedling particle : and we have here a re
markable inftance of that method fo common with
the Prophets, and particularly with Ifaiah, of taking
occafion.

fcHAP. Xt. ISAIAH, 1 13
occafion, from the mention of fome great tempora
deliverance, to launch out into the difplay of the
fpiritual deliverance of God's people by the Meffiah :
for that this prophecy relates to the Meffiah, we
have the exprefs authority of St. Paul, Rom.xv.
12. " Conjungit Parafciam hanc, quse refpicit dies
futuros Meffias, cum fiducia, quae fuit in diebus
Ezekiag." Kimchi in ver. i . Thus in the latter part
of Ifaiah's pi-ophecies the fubjedl of the great Re
demption, and of the glories 6f Meffiah's kingdom,
arifes out of the reftoration of Judah by the delive
rance from the Captivity of Babylon, and is all along
connedled and intermixed with it. .
4. By the blaft of his mouth] For 133(^3, by the
rod, Houbigant reads JUtya, by the blaft of his
mouth, from 2V1, to blow. The conjedlure is inge
nious and probable ; and feems to be confirmed by
the LXX, and Chaldee, who render it by the word
of his moutfi, which anfwers much better to the
corredlion than to the prefent reading. Add to this,
that the blaft ef his mouth, is perfedlly parallel to the
breath of his lips in the next line.
5. —the cindlure—] All the antient verfions,
except that of Symmachus, have two, different words
for girdle in the two hemiftichs. It is not probable,
that Ifaiah would have repeated llti*, when a fyno
nymous word fo obvious as T)3n occurred. The
tautology feems to have arifen from the miftake of
fome tranfcriber. The meaning of this verfe is, that
a zeal for juftice and truth fhall make him a<5live-and
ftrong in executing the great work, which he fhall
undertake. See Note on chap. v. 27.
6—8. Then fliall the wolf—] The idea of the
renewal of the Golden Age, as it is called, is much
the fame in the Oriental writers, with that of the
Greeks and Romans : the wild beafts grow tame ; ,
TOL. II. I ferpents

114 - NOTESOlf CHAF. XI*
ferpents and poifonous herbs become harmlefs ; all
is peace and harmony, plenty and happinefs t
" Occidet et ferpens, et fallax herba veneni
" Occidet."
 " Kec magnos metuent armenta leohes."
*' Nec tupus infidias pecori — — .** Virg,
"Nec vefpertinus circumgemit urfirs oviTe,
" Nec intumefcit, alta viperis humus/' Hor.
" Egai ^7], tst' up-up, OTTVjvtyuz vsSpov sv euven '
" 'K.a^yjxpo^uv cruiia-Sai i^oov XvKOg ^k aSsKujostJ'' TheoC
I have laid before the reader thefe common paf
fages from the maft elegant of the antient poets, that
he may fee how greatly the Prophet on the fame fub
jedl. has the advantage upon the comparifon; how
much the former fall fhort of thaf beauty and ele
gance, and variety of imagery, with which Ifaiah
has fet forth the very fame ideas. The wolf and the
leopard not only forbear to deftroy the lamb and the
kid, but even take their abode and lie down together
with them. The calf, and the young lion, and the
fatling, not only come together, but are led quietly
in the fame band, and that by a little child. The
heifer and the flie'-bear not orily feed together, but
even lodge their young ones, for whom they ufed to
be moft jealoufly fearful, in the fame place. All the
ferpent-kind is fo perfedlly harmlefs, that the fuck
ing infant, and the newly weaned child, puts his
hand on the bafilifk's den, and plays upon "the hole
of the afpic. The lion not pnly abftains from prey
ing on the weaker animals, but becomes tame and
domeftic, and feeds on ftraw like the ox. Tliefe are
all beautiful circumftances, not one of wliich haa
been touched upon by the antient poets. The Ara
bian and Perfian poets elegantly apply the fame ideas, tSQ.

ettA^. Jft. i-sAiAlti I15,
to fhew the effedls of juftice impartially admirii^
ftered, and firmly fupported, by a great and good
king! " Rerum dominus Mahrtludi rex potehsj
" Ad cujus aquam potum veniunt fimul agnus et lUpus.'*
Ferdufii
" Juflitia, a qua manfuetus fit lupus fame aftri£tus,
" Efuriens, licet hinnuleum candidum videat." ibn Oneln.
Jones, Poef. Afiat. Comment, p; 380*
"The application is extremely ingenious and beautiful ;
but the exquifite imagery of Ifaiah is not equalled.
7. Together — ] Here a Word is omitted in the
text, inn'', together ; which ought to be repeated in
the fecond hemiftich^ being quite neceffary to -the
fenfe. It is accordingly twice expreffed by the lxx,
and Syr.
> 10. The root of Jeffe, which ftandeth — ~\ St.
John hath taken this expreffion from Ifaiah, Rev. v.
5. arid xxn. 16. where Chrift hath twice applied it
to himfelf Seven mss have IDI^T, the prefdnt par
ticiple. " Radix Ifa^i dicitur jam ftare, & aliquant
tum ftetifle, in fignum populorum." Vitringa.
Which rightly explains either of the two readings.
II. jehovah] For >jnK, thirty- three mss, and
two Editions, read ninv
1 1 — 26. And it fhall come to pafs in that day — ]
This part ofthe chapter contains a prophecy", which
certainly remains yet to be accomplifhed. See Lowth
on the place.
13. And the enmity of Judah — '\ D''"n2. " Pof-
" tulat pars pofterior verfus, ut intelligantur in''-
" micitia Judse in Ephraimum: — & potefl D''1"1X
" inimicltiam notare, ut D^'iaHJ poenitentiam, ITof.
" XI. 8." secker.. I 2 i^.fmite

Il6 NOTES ON CHAP. Xf*
15. fmite with a drought — ] The Chaldee reads
31^nn; and fo perhaps lxx, who have egjy/xwirs/, the
word l)y which they commonly render it. Vulg'.
defolabit. The lxx. Vulg. arid Chald. read in2"'mn,
" fliall make it paffable," adding the pronoun, which
is neceffary. Here is a plain allufion to the paffage of the Red
Sea. And the Lord's fhaking his hand over the
river with his vehement wind, refers to a particular
circumftance of thefame miracle: for "he caufed
, *' the fea to go back by a ftrong eaft wind all that ^
" night, and made the fea dry land." Exod. xiv.
21. The tongue; a very appofite and defcriptive
expreffion for a bay, fuch as that of the Red Sea ;
it is ufed in the fame fenfe, Jofh. xv. 2. 5. xvin. '
19. The Latins gave, the fame name to a narrow
ftrip of land running into the fea : ' ' tenuem produ-
" cit in aequora linguam." Lucan. n. 613.
Herodotus i. 189. tells a ftory of his Cyrus, (a
very different charadler from that of the Cyrus of
the Scriptures and Xenophon,) which may fomewhat
illuftrate this paflage : in which it is faid, that God
would inflidl a kind of punifhment and judgement
on the Euphrates, and render it fordable, by dividing
it into feven ftreams. " Cyrus being impeded in his
march to Babylon by the Gyndes, a deep and rapid
river, which falls into the Tigris ; and having loft
one of his facred white horfes that attempted to pafs
it, was fo enraged againft the river, that he threatened
to reduce it, and make it fo fhallow, that it fliould
be eafily fordable even by women, who fhould not
be up to their knees in paffing it. Accordirigly he
fet his whole army to work ; and cutting three, hun
dred and fixty trenches, from both fides of the river,
turned tiie waters into them, and drained them off."

CHAP.

CHAP. xn. ISAIAH. IlJ'

CHAP. Xfi.
This hymn feems, by its whole tenor; and by
many expreffions in it, much better calculated for
the ufe of the Chriftian Church, than for the Jewifh
in any circumftarices, or at any time, that can be
affigned. The Jews themfelves feem to have applied
it to the times of Mefliah. On the laft day of the
feaft of Tabernacles they fetched water in a golden
pitcher from the fountain of Siloah, fpringing at the
foot of Mount Sion without the city : they brought
it through the water-gate into the Temple, and
poured it, mixed with wine, on the facrifice as it
Jay upon the altar, with great rejoicing. They feem
to have taken up this cuftom, for it is not ordained
jn the law of Mofes, as an emblem of future blef
fings,, in allufion to this paffage of Ifaiah: "Ye
*' fhall draw waters with joy from the fountains of
"falvation :" expreffions, that can hardly be under
ftood of any benefits afforded by the Mofaic difpen
fation. Our Saviour applied the ceremony, and the
intention of it, to himfelf, and to the effufion of the
Holy Spirit, promifed, and to be given, by him.
The fenfe of the Jews in this matter is plainly fhewn
by the following paffage of the Jerufalem Talmud :
*.' Why is it called the place, or houfe, of draw-
*' ing ?" (for that was the term for this ceremony,
or for the place where the water was taken up ;)
" becaufe from thence they draw the Holy Spirit;
" as it is written : and ye fhall draw water with joy
" from the fountains of falvation." See Wolf Curae
philol. in N. T. on John vn. 37. 39.
I. for, though thou haft been angry — 1 The
Hebrew phrafe, to which the lxx and Vulg. have
I 3 too

fi8

NOTES ON eiiAP. xir.

too clofely adhered, is exadlly the fame with that of
St. Paul, Rom, vi. 17. " But thanks be to God,
that yp were the flaves of fin ; but have obeyed from ^
the heart — " that is, " that, whereas, or though,
ye were the flaves of fin ; yet ye have now obeyed
from the heart the dodlrine, on the model of which
ye were formed,"
2, — my fong — ] The pronoun is here neceffa--
ry ; and it is added by i<xx, Vulg. Syr. who read
'JTiat: "as it is in a ms. Two mss omit r\>: See
Houbigant, not. in loc. Another ms has it in one
word, n''mE3t. Seven others omit niiT- See Expd,
XV, a. with Var, Ledl, Kennicott,

e H A p. Xiii, and xiv.
, Thefe two chapters (ftriking pff the five laft verfes
of the latter, which belong to a quite different fub-i
jedl,) contain one intire prophecy, foretefiing the
deftrudlion of Babylon by the Medes and Perfians ;
delivered probably in the reign of Ahaz, (fee Vitrin
ga, 1.380.) about 200 years before the completion
of it. The captivity itfelf of the Jews at Babylon
(which the Prophet does not expreflly "foretell, but
fuppofes, in the fpirit of prophecy, as what was
adlually to be effedled,) did not fully take place till
about 130 years after the delivery of this prophecy;
and the Medes, who are expreffly mentioned chap,
xin. 17, as the principal agents in the overthrow
of the Babylonian monarchy, by which the Jewg
were releafed from that captivity, were at this time,
an inconfiderable people ; having- been in a ftate of
anarchy ever fince the fall of the great Affyrian Em-.
pire, qf -which they had made a part, under Sarda^ "
napalusii

chap. Xllt. ISAIAH. 119,
napalus ; and did not become a kingdom under
Deioces till about' the 1 7th bf Hezekiah.
The former part of this prophecy is one of the
moftbeautifulexamples, that can be given, of ele
gance of compofition, variety of imagery, and fub -
limity of fentiment and didlion, in the prophetic
ftyle : and the latter part confifts of an Ode of fu- <
preme and fingular excellence.
The prophecy opens with the command Of God to
gather toget;her the forces which he had deftined to this
fervice; v. 2, 3. Upon which the Prophet immediate
ly hears the tumultuous noife of the different nations
crowding together to his ftandard ; he fees them ad
vancing, prepared to execute the divine wrath ; v. 4,
5. He proceeds to defcribe the dreadful confe
quences of this vifitation; the confternation which
will feife thofe that are objedls of it ; and transferring
unawares the fpeech from himfelf to God, v. 11.,
fets forth, under a variety qf the moft flxiking images,
the dreadful deftrudlion of the inhabitants of Baby
lon, which will follow; v. 11 — 16. and the ever
iafting defolation, to which that great city is
doomed; v. 17-^22.
The deliverance of Judah from captivity, the im
mediate confequence of this great revolution, is then
fet forth, without being much enlarged upon, of
greatly amplified : chap. xrv. i, 2. This introduces,
with the greateft eafe, and the utmoft propriety, the
' triumphant Song on that fubjedl ; v. 4 — -28. The
beauties of which, the various images, fcenes, per
fons introduced, and the elegant tranfitions from one
to another, I fhall here endeavour to point out in
their order ; leaving a few remarks upon particular
paffages of thefe two chapters, to be given after thefe
general obfervations on the whole.
A chorus of Jews is introduced, expreffing their
furprife and aftonifhment at the fudden downfall of
I 4 Babylon,

SaO NOTES, ON CHAF. XIII,
Babylon, and the great reverfe of fortune that had
befallen the tyrant, who, like his^ predeceffors, had
oppreffed bis own, and haraffed the neighbouring
kuigdoms. Thefe , oppreffed kingdorris,, or their
rulers, are reprefentCjd, undef the image of the fir-
trees and the cedars of Libanus, frequently ufed to
exprefs ^ny thing in the political or religious world,
that is fupereminently great and majeftic : the whole
earth fhouteth for joy ; the cedars of Libanus utter a
fevere taunt over' the fallen tyrant ; and boaft their
fecurity now he is no more.
The fcene is immediately changed ; and a new fet
of perfons is introduced : the regions of the dead are
laid open, and Hades is reprefented as roufing up
the fhades Of the departed monarchs : they rife from
their thrones to meet the king of Babylon at his
com.ing ; and infult him on his being reduced to the
fariie low eftate of impotence and diflblution with'
themfelves. This is one of the boldeft Profopopoeia,?,"
that ever -was attempted in poetry ; and is executed
J with aftonifhing brevity and perfpicuity, , and ,with
that peculiar force, which in a great fubjedl natu
rally refults from both. The image of the ftate of
the dead, or the Ipfernum Poeticum of the Hebrews,
is taken from their cuftom of burying, thofe at leafl
of the higher rank, , in large fepulchral vaults hewen
in the rock. Of this kind of fepulchres there are
remains at Jeriifalem now extant ; and fome that are
faid to be the fepulchres of the kings of Judah. See
Maundrell, p. 76, You, are to form to yourfelf an
idea of an immenfe fubterraneous vault, a vaft
gloomy cavern, all round the fides of which there
are cells to receive the dead bodies : here the de
ceafed monarchs fie in a diftinguifhed fort of ftate,
- fuitable to their former rank, each pn his own couch,
^yith his arms befide him, his fword at his head, and
|he bodies of his chiefs and companions round about him.

tHA*. Xnif ,,, ISAIAH, |af
^im. See Ezek. xxxn. 27. On which place Sir
John Chardin's ms Note is as follows : '' En Min-
'•' grelie ils dorment tous leur epee fous leurs tetes,
*•' & leurs autres armes a leur cote ; & on les enterre .
" de mefme, leurs armes pofees de cette fafon."
'J'hefe illuftrious fhades rife at once from their
couches, as from their thrones ; and advance to the
entrance ofthe cavern to meet the king of Babylon,
and to receive him with infults on his fall.
The Jews now refume the fpeech ; they addrefg
the king pf Babylon as the morning-ftar fallen from
heaven, as the firft in fplendor arid dignity in the
political world fallen from his higfi ftate : they iur
t,roduce him as uttering the moft extravagant vaunts
of his power and ambitious defigns in his former
glory : thefe are ftrongly contrafted in the clofe witk
his prefent low and abjedl condition.
Immediately follows a different fcene, and a mofl:
happy image, to diverfify the fame fubjedl, to give
it a new ^urn and an additional force. Certain per
fons are introduced, who light upon the corpfe of the
king, of Babylon, caft out and lying naked on the
bare ground, among the common flain, juft after
the taking of the city ; covered with wounds, and
fo disfigured, that it is fome time before they know
him. They accoft him with the fevereft taunts, and
bitterly reproach hjim with his deftrudllve ambition,
and his cruel ufage of the conquered; which have
defervedly brought upon him this ignominious treat
ment, fo different from that whifh thofe of his rank
ufually meet with, and' which fliall cover his pofte-r
fity with difgrace.
To complete the whole, God is introduced, de
claring the fate of 'Baby on, the utter extirpation of
the royal fam-ily, and the total defclation of the city ;
^hp deliverance ofhis people, and the deftrudlion of
^ , ^ ' ' ' ¦ • ^ ^h?ir

tlZ . KOTES ON CHAP. XIII.
their enemies ; confirming the Jrreverfible' decree by
the awful faridlion of his oath.
I believe it may with truth be affirmed, that there
is no poem of its kind extant in any language, in.
which the fubjedl is fo well laid out, and fo happily
condudled, with fuch a richnefs of invention, with
fuch variety of images, perfons, and diftindl adlions,
with fuch rapidity and eafe of tranfition, in fo fmall
a compafs, as in this Ode of Ifaiah. For beauty of
difpofition-, ftrength of colouring, greatnefs of fen- ,
timent, brevity, perfpicuity, and force of expreffion.
It ftand-s among ail the monuments of antiquity un
rivalled. 2. Exalt the voice — ] The word arb, to them^
w-hicli is of no ufe, and rather weakens the fentence,
is 'omitted by an Antient ms, and Vulg.
4. -^for the battle] The Bodley ms has VlCtXb'd^.
, Cyrus's army was made up of many different nations,
Jeremiah calls it " an afl<;mbly of great nations from
*' the north country :"¦ ch, l. 9. And afterwards
mentions the kingdoms of "Ararat, Minni, and Afh.T
" chenaz, (i.e. Armenia, Corduene, Pontus vel Phry-
" gia. Vitring.) -with the kings of the Medes." ch,
LI. 27, 28. See Xenophon. Cyrop.
8. — ^and they fhall be terrified] I join this verb,
•T&niil, to the preceding verfe, with Syr. and Vulg.
Ibid, pangs fnall feize theni\ The lxx, Syr. and
Chald. read p'^I^^t*, inftead of p?^«^ which does
not exprefs the pronoun them, neceffary to the fenfe.
10. Yea the ftars of heaven — ] The Hebrew
poets,' to exprefs happinefs, profperity, the inflaura-r
tion and advancement of ftates, kingdoms, and po
tentates, make ufe of images taken from the moft
ftriking parts of nature, from the heavenly bodies,
from the fun, moon, and ftars; which' they defcribe
as fliining with incre-afed fplendor, and never fetting;
tiie moon becomes fike tiie meridian fup, and the'
fim's

CHAP. Xlir. ISAIAH. 123
fun's light is augmented fevenfold : fee If xxx. 26.
new heavens and a new earth are created, and a
brighter age commences. On the contrary, the over
throw and deftrudlion of kingdoms is reprefented by
oppofite images : the ftars are obfcured, the moon with
draws her fight, and the fun fhines no more ; the earth
quakes, and the heavens tremble ; and all things
feem tending to their original chaos. See Joel n.
10. in. 15, 16. Amos vin. 9. Matth. xxiv. 2,9.'
&nd De S. Poef. Hebr. Prsel. vi. & ix.
II. I will vifit the world] That is,, the Baby-r
lonifh empire : as ?| oijcspv??, for the Roman empire,
or for Judea; Luke n. i. Adls xi. 28. So, uni
verfus orbis Romanus, for the Roman empire ; Sal
vian. Lib. V. Minos calls Crete his world: *' Cre-
" ten, quas meus eft orbis." Ovid, Metamorphy
Tin. 99. i
14. And the remnant — .] Here is plainly a de
fedl in this fentence, as it flands in the Hebrew text;
the fubjedl of the propofition is loft. What is it,
that fhall be like a roe chafed ? The lxx happily
fupply it: 01 KaraT^KsiiJijjisvoi, 'IKK', the remnant. A.
MS here fupplies the word ^tyv, the inhabitant:
which makes a tolerably good fenfe ; but I much
prefer the readirig ofthe lxx.
Ibid. They fliaU look—] That is, the forges' of
the king of Babylon, deftitute of their leader, and
all his auxiliaries, colledled from Afia Minor, and
other diflant countries, fhall difperfe, and flee to
their refpedlive homes.
15. Every one that* is overtaken — ~\ That is,
none lhaU efcape from the flaughter : neither they
who xvcz fingly, difperfed, and in confufion; nor
the]' 'rio endeavour to make their retreat in a more
regular manner, by forming compadl bodies ; they
fhall all be equally cut off by the fword of tiie enemy. The

324 NOTES ON CHAP. Xlir,
The LXX have underftood it in this fenfe; which.
fhey have well expreffed : ;
*¦' ^Og yap av osAw '^rjyj^yicrqai,
" K.«i onivsg a-vvyjyp.svoi sort 'ZutcrHvlai [juOiypitpac.
Where for ¦^rjn^yio-sjai, ms Pachpm. has sKTcsvSria-irat ; &
fit r Cod. Marchal. in margine, & ms i D. ii. ikksv-
ryj9i^(rirai : which feems to be right, beirig properly
expreffive of the Hebrew.
17. Who fhall hpld filver of no account] That
js, wlio fhall not be induced, by large offers of gold
and filver for ranfom, to fpare the lives of thofe
whom they have fubdued in battle : their rage and
cruelty will get the better of all fuch motives. We
jLave many examples in the Iliad and in the ^Eneid
of addrefles of the vanqulfhed to the pity and avarice
of the vanquifhers, tp induce them to fpare their
JiyeSf ^ Efl domus alta ; jacent penitus defofla talenta
*' C-.3elati argenti : funt auri pondera fafti
*' Infeftique inihi ; non hic viftoria T-eucruUi
*' Vertitur ; aut anima una dabit difcrimina tanta.
" Dixerat ; ^Eneas contra cui talia reddit :
" Argeiiti atquo auri memoras qua multa talenta
'• Gnatis parce tuis." JEn. x. 526,
" High in my dome are filver talents roll'd,
*' With piles of labour'd and unlabour'd gold.
" Thefe, to procure my ranfom, I refign ;
*',The war depends no): on a life like mine s
" One, one poor life can no fuch difference yield,
*' Nor turn the mighty balance ofthe field.
•' The talents, (cried the prince,) thy treafur'd flore,
" Keep for thy fons.'' Pitt.
It is remarkable, that Xenophon makes Cyrus
open a fpeech to his army, and in particular to the
Medes, who made the principal part of it, with
praifingthem for their dlfregard of riches, Av^psg
M.^^Oi^

««AP. 3ilfr. ISAlAEl. 125
tAtj^ot, Kai 'srxnsg ot 'ssa^ovrsg, syui vp-ag oiSa a-afu^, on
Hts y^YjpMruiv ^.tojj-svot aw s^oi s^riX&srs—" Ye Medes,
" and others who now hear me, I well know, that
" you have not accompanied me in this expedition
"with a view of acquiring wealth." Cyrop. Lib. v.
18. Their bows fhall dafh — '] Both Herodotus,
1. 61. and Xenophon, Anab. in. mentiori, that the
Perfians ufed large bows ; ro^a p,syaxa : and the lat
ter fays particularly, that their bows were three cu
bits long ; Anab. iv. They were celebrated for their
archers : fee chap. xxn. 6. Jer. xlix. 35. Proba
bly their neighbours and allies, the Medes, dealt
much in the fame fort of arms.' In Pf. xvni. 35.
and Job xx. 24. mention is made of a bow of brafs:
if the Perfian bows were of metal, we may eafily
conceive, that with a metalline bow of three cubits
length, and proportionably ftrong, the foldiers might
dafh and flay the young men, the weaker and unre-
fifting part of the inhabitants (for they are joined
with the fruit of the womb and the children,) in the
general carnage on taking the city.
18. And on the fruit — ] A ms r^ads "nS bV)..
And nine mss (three Antient) and two Editions,
with LXX, Vulg. Syr. add likewife the conjundlion
*) to by afterward.
19. And Babylon] The great city of Babylon
was at this time rifing tp its highth of glory, while
the Prophet Ifaiah was . repeatedly denouncing its
utter deflrudlion. . From the firft of Hezekiah to
the firft of Nebuchadnezzar, under whom it was
brought to the higheft degree of ftrength and fplen
dor, are about 120 years. I will here very briefly
mention fome particulars of the greatnefs of the
place, and note the feveral fteps by which this re
markable prophecy was at length accomplifhed in
the total ruin of it. It

3i6 5IOTES ON CHAP. Xllt.
It was, according to the loweft account given of
it by antient hiftorians, a regular fquare, forty-five
miles in compafs, inclofed by a waU two hundred
foot high, fifty broad ; in which there were a huur
dred gates of brafs. Its principal ornaments were
the Temple of Belus, in the middle of which was a
tower of eight ftories of building, upon a bafe of a
quarter of a mile fquare ; a moft magnificent palace ;
and the famous hanging gardens ; which we;re an ar
tificial mountain, raifed upon arches, and planted
with trees of the largeft as well as the moft beautiful
forts. -
Cyrus took the city, by diverting the. waters of
the Euphrates, which ran through the midft of it,
and entering the place at night by the dry channel.
The river, ^ being never feftored afterward to its pro
per courfe, overflowed the whole country, and made
it little better than a great morafs : this and the great
flaughter of the inhabitants, with other bad confe
quences" of the taking of the city, was the firft ftep
to the ruin of the place. The Perfian monarchs ever
regarded it with a jealous eye ; they kept it under,
and took care to prevent its recovering its former
greatnefs. Darius Hyftafpis not long afterward moft
feverely punifhed it for a revolt, greatly depopulated
the place, lowered the walls, and demolifhed the
gates. Xerxes deftroyed the Temples, and -with the
reft the great Temple of Belus. Herod, in. 159.
Arrian. Exp. Alexandri, Lib. vn. The building of
Seleucia on the Tigris exhaufled Babylon by its
neighbourhood, as well as by the .immediate lofs qf
inhabitants taken away by Seleucus to people his new
city. Strabo Lib. xvi. A king of the Parthians
foon after carried aWay into flavery a great number
of the inhabitants, and burnt and deftroyed the moft
beautiful parts ofthe city. Valefii Excerpt. Diodori,
p. 377. Strabo (ibid.) fays, that in his time great part

CHAi'. XIII, ISAIAH. r^y
part of it was a mere defert ; that the Perfians had.
¦partly deftroyed it; and that time, and the negle^
of the Macedonians, while they were mafters of it,
liad nearly completed its deflrudlion. Jerom (in
loc.) fays, that in his time it was quite in ruins,Jsand
that the walls ferved only for the inclofure of a park
or foreft for the king's hunting. Modern travellers,
who have endeavoured to find the remains of it,
have given but a very unfatisfadlory account of their
fuccefs : what Benjamin of Tudela and Pietro della
Valle fuppofed to have been fome of its ruins, Ta
vernier thinks are the remains of fome late. Arabian
building. Upon the whole, Babylon is fo utterly-
annihilated, that even the place, "where this Won
der of the World ftood, cannot now be determined ¦
with any certainty. See alfo Note on ch. xliii. 14-
We are aftonifhed at the accounts which antient
hiftorians of the beft credit give, of the immenfe
extent, highth, and thicknefs of the walls of Niniveh
and Babylon : nor are we lefs aftonifhed, when we
are afliired, by the concurrent teftimony of modern
travellers, that no remains, not the leaft traces, of
thefe prodigious works are now to be found. Our
wonder-will, I think, be moderated in both refpedls,
if we confider the fabric of thefe celebrated walls,
and the nature of the materials of which they con
fifted. Buildings in the Eaft have always been, and
are to this day, made of earth or day mixed, or
beat up, with ftraw tp make the parts cohere, and
dried only in the fun. This is their method of
making bricks. See Note on chap. ix. 9. The
walls of the city were built of the earth digged
out on the fpot, and dried upon the place ; by which
means both the ditch and the wall were at once
formed ; the former furnifliing materials for the lat
ter. That the walls of Babylon were of this kind is'
well known ; and Berofus expreffly fays, (apud Jo-
3 ' ' fcph.

¦f«4 NOTES ON , cUAv.xiit
feph. Antiq. x. ii.) that JSTebuchadnezzar added
three new walls both lo the old and new city, partiy
of brick and bitumen, and partly of brick alone. A
wall of this fort muft have a great thicknefs in pro
portion to its highth, otherwife it cannot ftand. The
thicknefs of the wafis of Babylon is faid to have been
one fourth of their highth; which feems tp have
been no more than was abfolutely neceflary. Maun
drell, fjpeaking of the garden waUs of Damafcus ;
" they are, fays he, of a very fingular ftrudlure.
*' They are built of great pieces of earth, made in
*' the fafhion of brick, and hardened in the fun. In
" their dimenfions they are two yards long eaclh,
*' anrl fomevv'hat more than one broad, and half a
*' yard thick." Arid afterward, fpeaking of the
walk of the houfes ; " .From this dirty way of build-
*' ing they have this amongft other inconveniences,
*' that upon any violent rain the whole city becomes,
"by the wafhing of the houfes, as it were a quag-
"^ mire." p. 124. And fee note on ch. xxx. 13.
When a wall of this fort comes to be out of repair,
and is negledled, it is eafy to conceive the neceflary
Gonfequenfces ; namely, that in no long courfe of
ages it muft be totally deftroyed by the heavy rains,
and at length wafhed away, and reduced to its ori
ginal earth.
22. — in their palaces] VJ"nJ!2^^^n, a plain mif
take, I prefume, for V/lJmNa. It is fo corredled in
one MS.
" Ilii?\.V7ro6sg dsv sp.ot Bpi7\a^xg, (pciiKoiirs. iMKoiivat,
*' OiKiK msoirio-ovroit anyjlsa, 'xyjrsi 7\uwv."
Homer. Hymn, in Apol. 77.
Of which the fofiowing paflage of Milton may be
taken for a tranflation, though not' fo defigned :
" Ani

CHAP. xm. ISAIAH. ' 129
" And in their palaces,
" 'Where luxury late reign'd, fea-monfters whelp'd,
" And llabled." P. L.' xi. 750.

CHAP. XIV.
I. And' will yet choofe Ifrael.] That is, will ftill
regard Ifrael as his chofen peQple ; however he may
feem to defert them, by giving them up to their
enemies, and fcattering them among the nations.
Judah is fometimes called, Ifrael : fee Ezek. xni. 16.
Malach. i. i. n.ii. but the name of Jacob, and
of Ifrael, ufed apparently with defign in this place ;
each of which names includes the twelve Tribes;
and the other circumftances mentioried in this and
the next verfe, which did not in any complete fenfe
accoiripany the return from the captivity of Babylon ;
feem to intimate, .that this whole prophecy extends
its views beypnd that event.
3. — in that day] Ninn nvn. The word Kinn is
added in two mss, and was in the copies from which
the LXX and Vulg. tranflated : sv tjj s?/.<.ffa syatvri, in
die ilia, (fi avairoiwrst, ms Pachom. -adding r\). This
is a matter of no great confequence : however, it
" reftores the text to its common form, almoft con
ftantly ufed on fuch occafions ; and is one among
many inftances of a word loft out of the printed
copies. 4. — this parable — ] Maftal. I take this to be
the general name for poetic ftyle among theHebrisws,.
including every fort of it, as ranging under one, or
other, or all of the charadlers, of Sententious, Fi
gurative, arid Sublime ; which are all contained in
the original notion, or in the ufe arid application of
the word majhal. Parables or Proverbs, fuch as
VOL. n. K thofe

130 note's O.K CHAI'. XIV,
thofe' of Solomon, are always expreffed in fhort
pointed fentences ; frequently figurative, being
formed on fome comparifon ; generally forcible and.
arithoritative, both in the matter and the form. And
fuch in general is the ftyle of the Hebrew Poetry.
The verb majhal fignifies to rule, to exercife autho
rity ; to make equal, to compare one thing with
another ; to utter parables, or acute, weighty, and '
powerful fpeeches, in the form and manner of para
bles,, though not properly fuch. Thus Balaam's iirft
prophecy, Num. xxm. 7 — 10, is called his maftal;
though it has hardly any thing figtirative in it ; but
it is beautifully fententious, and, from the very form
and manner of it, has great fpirit, force, and energy*
Thus Job's laft fpeeches, in anfwer to the Three
Friends, chap, xxvii, — ^xxxi. are called mafkals;
from no one particular charadler, which difcriminates
them from the reft of the poem, but from the . fub
lime, the figurative, the fententious manner, which
equally prevails through the whole poem, and makes^
it one of the firft and moft eminent examples extant
of the truly gr€at and beautiful in poetic flyle.
The LXX in this place render the word by ^p-/\vog,
a lamentation. They plainly confider the fpeech here
introduced as a piece of poetry ; and of that fpecies-
of poetry, which we call the Elegiac : either from
the fubjedl, it being a poem on the fall and death of
the king of Babylon ; or from the form of the- com
pofition, which is of the Longer fort of Hebrew
verfe, in which the Lamentations df Jeremiah, called
by the rixx Bp^voi, are written.
II. — thy covering] Twenty-eight mss, (ten
Antient) and feven Editions, with the lxx and
Vulg. read IDD-m, in the fingular number.
12. O Lucifer, fon of tiie Morning] See Note
pn xiii. 10. , 13. fne

fcHAP. Xtv. ISAIAH. 131
13. the mount of the divine prefence — 1 It apr
pears plainly from Exod. xxv. 22. and xxix. 42,
43. where God appoints the place of meeting with
Mofes, and promifes to meet with him before the
ark, to commune with him, and to fpeak untO;
him ; and to meet the children of Ifrael at the door
of the Tabernacle ; that the Tabernacle j and after
ward the Temple, and Mount Sion, ,(or Moriah,
which is reckoned a part of Sion,) whereon it ftood,
was called the Tabernacle, and the Mount, of Con
vention, or of Appointment ; not from the people's
affembfing there to perform the fervices of their re
ligion, (which is what our Tranfiation expreffes by ¦
calling it the Tabernacle of the Congregation,) but
becaufe God appointed that for the place, where He
himfelf would meet with Mofes, and commune with
him, and would meet with the people. Therefore,
lyiD "in, or 1J?1D bTMi, means the place appointed
by God, where he would prefent himfelf: agreeably
to which I have rendered it in this place, the Mount
of the Divine Prefence. ,
19. — like the tree aborriinated] That is, as an
abomination and deteftation ; fuch as the tree is, on
which a malefadlor has been hanged. "It is writ
ten, faith St. Paul, Galat. in. 13. curfed is every
man that hangeth on a tree :" from Deut. xxi. 23.
The Jews therefore held alfO as accmfed and polluted
the tree itfelf on which a malefadlor had been exe
cuted, or on which he had been hanged after having
been put to death by ftoning. " Non fufpendunt
fuper arbore, quae radicibus folo adhasreat ; fed fuper
lingo eradicato, ut ne fit excifio molefta : nam Iig-.
num, fuper quo fuit aliquis fufpenfus cum fufpendi-
ofo fepelitur ; ne maneat illi malurri nomen, & di
cant homines, Iftud eft lignum, in quo fufpenfus eft
ille, 0 ^ztvoe. Sic lapis, quo aliquis fuit lapldatus ;
& gladius, quo fuit occifus is qui eft occifus; & fu-
K 2 darium

132 notes on chap. xiv.
darium five mantile, quo fuit .aliquis ftrangulatus ;
omnia haec curri iis, qui , perierunt, fepefiuntur."
Maimonides, apud Cafaub._ in Baron. Exercitat. xvi.
An. 34. Num. 134. " Cum itaque homo fufpenfus
maximae effet abominationi, — Judaei quoque pras cae-
teris abominabantur lignum quo fuerat fufpenfus,
ita ut illud quoque terra tegerent, tanquam rem abo-
minabilem. Unde ' Interpres Chaldaeus hsc verba
tranftulit Tiaa Bn3, ficut -virgultum abf"conditum,
five fepultum." Kalinfki, \'aticinia Obfervationibus
illuftrata, p. 342. Agreeably to which, Theodoret,
Hift. Ecclefiaft. i. 17, 18, in his account of the
finding of the Crofs by Helena, fays, that the three
Croffes were buried in the; earth near the place of
our Lord's fepulchre.
Ibid. — cloathed with the flain.] Thirty-five mss
(ten Ancient), and three Editions, have the word
fully written, li^^b. It is not a noun, but the pat-
ticiple paffive : thrown out among the common flain,
and covered with the dead bodies. So ver. 11. the
earth-worm is faid to be his bed-covering.
20. Becaufe thou haft deftroyed thy country; thou
haft flain thy people.] Xenophon gives an inftance
of this king's wanton cruelty in killing the fon of
Gobrias, on no other provocation than that, in
hunting, he ftruck a boar and a lion, which the king
had miffed. Cyrop. iv. p. 309.
. 23. I will plunge it — j I.^have here very nearly
followed the verfion of the lxx : the reafons for
which fee in the laft Note on De Poefi Hebr. Prae
ledl. XXVIII.
25. To crufh the Affyrian — on my mountains J
The Affyrians and Babylonians are the fame people :
Herod, i. 199, 200. Babylon is reckoned the prin
cipal city in Affyria: ibid. 178. Strabo fays, the
fame thing; fib. xvi. fub init. The circumftance
of this judgement's being to be executed on God's
mountains

CHAP. XIV. ISAIAH. I33
mountain is of importance : it may mean the deftruc-
tion of Senacherib's army near Jerufalem ; and have
flill a further view : compare Ezek. xxxix. 4. and
fee Lowth on this place of Ifaiah.
28. Uzziah had fubdued the Philiftines,. 2 Chron.
XXVI. 6, 7 ; but, taking advantage ofthe weak reign
of Ahaz, they invaded Judea, and took and held in
poffeffion fome cities in the fouthern part of the
kingdom. On the death of Ahaz, Ifaiah delivers
this prophecy, threatening them v/ith the deflrudlion
that Hezekiah, his fon, and great-grandfon of Uz
ziah, fhould bring upon them : which he effedled ;
for " he fmote the Philiftines, even unto Gaza, and
the borders thereof" 2 Kings xvm. 8. Uzziah
therefore muft be meant by the rod that fmote them,
and by the ferpent, from whom fhould fpring the
flying fiery ferpent ; that is, Hezekiah, a much
more terrible enemy, than even Uzziah had been.
30. — he will flay] The lxx read rVDTl, in the
third perfon, avsKsi ; and fo Chald. The Vulgate
remedies the confufion of perfons in the prefent
Text, by reading both the verbs in the firft perfon.
31. from the North cometh a fmoke] That is,
a cloud of duft, raifed by the march of Hezekiah's
army againft Philiftia ; which lay to the fouth-weft
from Jerufalem. A great duft raifed has, at i dif
tance, the appearance of fmoke : " fumantes pulvere
campi." Virg. JEn. xi. 908.
32. — to the ambaffadors of the nations] The
LXX read D''')J, i^'joov, plural; and fo the Chaldee,
and one ms. The ambaffadors of the neighbouring
nations, that fend to congratulate tiezekiah on his
fuccefs ; which in his anfwer he will afcribe to the
¦ protedlion of God. See 2 Chron. xxxn.- 23. Or,
if *i:i, fingular, the reading of the Text, be pre
ferred, the ambafladors fent by the Philiftines to de
mand peace,
K 3 CHAP.

134 l^OTES ON PHA?. XV,

CHAP, XV,

This and the following chapter, takeri together,
make one intire prophecy, very improperly divide^
into two parts. , The time of the delivery, and con
fequently of the fcompletion of it, which was to be
in three years from that time, is uncertain ; the for
mer not being marked in the prophecy itfelf, nor
the latter recorded in hiftory. But the moft proba
ble account is, that it was delivered foon after the
foregoing, in the firfl year of Hezekiah: and that
it was accomplifhed in his fourth year, when Shal-.'
manefer invaded the kingdpm of Ifrael. He might
probably march through Moab ; and, to fecure every
thing behirid him, poffefs lumfelf of the whole
country, by taking their principal ftrong places, Ar
and Kirhares.
Jeremiah has happily introduced much of this
prophecy of Ifaiah into his own larger prophecy
againft the fame people in his xLvnith Chapter;
denouncing God's judgements on Moab, fubfe.quent
to the calamity here foretold, and to be executed
by Nebuchadnezzar : by which means feveral mif
takes in the prefent Text of both Prophets may be
redlified. I. Becaufe in the night — 1 b'b:i. That both
thefe cities fhould be taken in the night is a cir
cumftance fomewhat unufual ; and not fo material,
as tq deferve to be fo ftrongly infifted upon. Vi
tringa, by his remark on this word, fhews, that he
was diffatisfied with, it in its plain and obvious
mei-ning; and is forced to have recourfe to a very
h-rd metaphorical interpretation of it. ": Nodlu, vel

CHAP. XV. ISAIAH. 1^^
vel nodlurno impetu; vel metaphorice, repente,
fubito, inexpedlata deftrudlione : placet pOfterius."
Calmet conjedlures, and I think if probable, that
the true reading is ^^"pD. There are many miftakes
in the Hebrew text arifing from the very great fimi
litude of the letters 2 and 2, which in many mss,
and even in fome printed Editions, are hardly dif-
ftinguifhable. Admitting this reading, the tranfla
tion will be :
" Becaufe Aris utterly deftroyed, Moab is undone !
•' Becaufe Kir is utterly deftroyed, Moab is undone !
2. Beth-Dibon : — ] This is the name of one
place ; and the two words are to be joined together,
without "the 1 intervening : fo Chald. and Syr.
Ibid. — on every head] For, Vty^*^, read U^K").
So the parallel place, Jer. xlviii. 37. and fo three
mss (one Antient). An Antient ms reads b2 bv
Ibid. On every head there Is baldnefs, and every
beard is fhorn.] Herodotus, 11.36, fpeaks of it as
a general pradlice among all men, except the Egyp
tians, to cut off their hair as a token of mourning.
" Cut off thy hair and caft it away, fays Jeremiah,
VI I.. 29, and take up a lamentation."
Taro vv xat yc-^ag oiov oi'cv^onn fS^orota-t
'K-£ipe>yr$ai n koj^tiv, fSa7\iiiv f ovrco dax.pv 'waostMV.
Horn. OdylT. IV. 197.
"** The rites of woe
*' Are all, alas I the living can beftow ;
" O'er die congenial duft enjoin'd to fhear
" The graceful curl, and drop the tender tear." Pope.
Ibid. — :fhorn— ^] The printed Editions, as well
as the mss, are divided on the reading of this word:
fome have n^HJ, others nynj. The fimilitude of
the letters T and n has likewife occafioned many
miftakes. In the prefent cafe, the fenfe is pretty
K 4 much

136 NOTES ON CHAP, XV.
much the fame with either reading. The text of
Jer. XLVIII. 37. has the latter.
4. — the very loins-r-J So the lxx, ^ OTipvg, and
Syr. They cry out violently, with their utmoft
force. 5. The heart cf Moab crieth within her.] For
•'2b, LXX read U^, or-nV; the Chald. 12^. For
n^rs"""!!, Syr,, reads nnna ; and fo likewife the lxx,
rendering it tv avryf, Edit. Vat. or sv 'savrn, Edit,
Alex, and ms i D. ii.
Ibid. — a young heifer] Heb. a heifer three
years old, in full ftrength ; as Horace ufes equa
trima, for a young mare juft coming to her prime.
Bochart obferves from Ariftotle, Hift. Animal, lib.
IV. that, in this kind of animals alone, the voice of
the female is deeper than that of the male : therefore
the lowing of the heifer, rather than of the buUock,
is chofen by the Prophet, as the properer image to
exprefs the mourning of Moab. But I muft add,
that the expreffion here is very fhort and obfcure,
and the opinions of interpreters are various iri regard
to the meaning.' Compare Jer. xlviii. 34.
Ibid. — they fhall afcend] ' For Tb)y>, lxx and
a MS read in the plural iVv''. And from this paffage,
the parallel place in Jer. xlviii. 5, muft be cor
redled ; where for ""ai . n^J'"', which gives no good
fenfe, read 12 n'?VV
7. — fhaU perifh] inni*, or mn>«. This word
feems to have been loft out of the' Text : it is fup
plied by the parallel place, Jer. xlviii. 2)^. Syr.
expreffes it by "i^y, praeteriit ; and Chald. by ^ITDjT,
diripientur. -
Ibid, to the valley of willows.] That is, to Ba
bylon. Hieron. and Jarchi in loc. both referring to
Pf CXXXVII. 2. So likewife Prideaux, Le Clerc,
&c, 9. Upon

CHAP. XV. ISAIAH. I37
9. Upon the efcaped of Moab and Ariel, and the
remnant of Admah.] The lxx for n'HK read ^i<nt*.
Ar Moab was called alfo Ariel, or Areopolis, Hie
ron. and Thec do- ;t. fee Cellarius.' They make
msm alfo a p. oper name. Michaelis thinks, that
the Moabites m:gat be called the remnant of Admah,
as fprung from I ot and his daughters efcaped from
the deftrudl:ion cf rhit and the other cities ; or me
taphorically, as t''-;; Jews are called 'the princes of
Sodom, and people of Gomorrah, chap. i. 10. Bi
bliothek Orient. Part v. p. 195. .The reading of
this verfe is very doubtful ; and the fenfe, in every
way in which it can be read, very obfcure.

CHAP. XVI.

I . I will fend forth the fon — ] Both the reading
and meaning oi' this- verfe are ftill more doubtful
than thofe of the preceding. The lxx and Syr.
read n^!:^^*, in the firft perfon fing. future tenfe : the
Vulg. and Talmud Babylon, read n^!^, fing. impera
tive. The Syr. for 13 reads "12, which is confirmed
by one ms, and perhaps by a fecond. The two firft
verfes defcribe the diftrefs of Moab ori the Affyrian
inva,fion ; in which even the fon of the prince of the
country is reprefented as forced to flee for his life
through the defert, that he may efcape to Judea;
and the young women are driven forth, like young
birds caft out of the neft, and endeavouring to wade
through the fords ofthe river Arnon.
3 Impart counfel^-] The Vulg. renders the
A'-erbs in the beginning Of this verfe in the fingular
number. , So the Keri ; and fo likewife many mss
have it, and fome Editions, and Syr. The verbs
1, ' throughout

IjS NOTES ON CHAP. XVI.
throughout the verfe are alfo in the feminine gen
der ; agreeing with Sion, which I fuppofe to be un
derftood. 4. the outcafts of Moab — '] Setting thfe points
afide, this is by much the mofl obvious conflrudlion
of the Hebrew, as well as moft agreeable to the con
text, and the defign of the Prophet. And it is con-
fi.rmed by the lxx, ol (pvyaSsg'Mccal^, & Syr.
Ibid. — the oppreffor — ^, Perhaps the Ifraelites ;
who in the ,time of Ahaz invaded Judah, defeated
Iiis army, flaying 120,000 men; and brought the
kingdom to the brink of deftrudlion. Judah, being
now in a more' profperous condition, is reprefented
as able to receive and to protedl the fugitive Mo-
sbites, ' And with thofe former tiriies of diftrefs, the
fecurity and flourifhing ftate of the kingdom under
the government of Hezekiah is contrafted.
6. We have heard the pride of Moab — ] For
K3, read ni<i; two mss, (one Antient,) and Jer.
XLVIII. 29. Zephaniah, in his prophecy againft
Moab, the fubjedl of which- is the fame with that of
Jeremiah in his xLvnith chapter (fee above Note
on XV.' I.) enlarges much on the pride of Moab,
and their infolent behaviour towards the Jews :
" I have heard the reproach of Moab ;
" And the revilings of the fons of Ammon ;
" Who have reproached my people ;
" And have magnified themfelves againft their borders,
" Therefore, as I live, faith jehovah God of Hofls, the
" God of Ifrael :
" Surely Moab (hall be as Sodom,
" Aad the fons of Ammon as Gomorrah :
" A poffeffion of nettles, and pits of fait,
" And a defolation for eyer.
" The refidue" of my people fhall fpoil them,
".And the remnant of my nation fhall difpoffefs them :
" This fhall they have for their pride ; " Becaufe

flliAV.XYJ. JSAIAH, J39
, *• Becaufe they have raifed a reproach, and have magni-*
*' fied themfel-yes,
'¦ Againft the people -of jehovah God of Hofts."
Zeph. II* 8 — IO.
7. For the men of Kirhares — .] A palpable miflake
in this place is happily corredled by the parallel text
f?f Jer. XLVIII. 31. where, inftead of ''VV^, foun
dations, or flagons, we read '•if/iJ*, men. In the fame
place of Jeremiah, and in ver. ^6. and here in ver.
n, the nam? of the city is Kirhares, not Kirha-
reflieth. Ibid. — are put to fhame] Here the text of Je
remiah leaves us much at a Ipfs, in a place that
feems to be greatly corrupted. The lxx join the
two laft words of this verfe with the beginning of
the following. , Their rendering is ; xat, ax. svrpaTr^a-q
ra rffslid sa-iQoov. For "Ji^ they muft . have read b)lt '
otherwife, how came they by the negative, which
feems not to belong to this place .? Neither is it eafy
to make fenfe of the reft without a fmall alteration,
by reading,, inftead of svipa'Trrjo-y] rx, svr^airriinrai. In
a word, the Arabic verfion taken from the lxx,
plainly authorifes this reading of the lxx, and,
without the negative ; and it is fully confirmed by
MSS Pachom. and i D. n. which have both of them
^vrpxTryiasrat "urs^ia ¥.<tsooov, without the .negative;
which makes an excellent fenfe, and, I think, gives
us the true reading of the Hebrew text : 10^33 1»
pntyn mmty. They frequently render the verb 0^33
by sn^sTfoiJMi. And lo'?23 anfwers perfedlly well to
bbaa, the parallel word in the next line. The mss
vary in expreffing the word n'Kaj, which gives no
tolerable fenfe in this place ; one reads a"'K313, two
others a«»t31, in another the 2 is upon a rafure of
two letters ; and Vulg. inftead of it reads DJIDD,
plagas fuas.
8. Her

140 NOTES ON CHAP. XVI,
8. Her branches extended themfelves — '] For
Wt33, a MS has Wlii ; which may perhaps be right :
compare Jer. xlviii. 32. which has in this part of
the fentence the fynonymous word I^JJ-
The meaning of this verfe is, that the wines of
Sibmah and Hefhbon were greatly celebrated, and
in high repute with all the great men and princes of
that and the neighbouring countries ; who indulged
themfelves even to intemperance in the ufe of them.
So that their vines were fo much in requeft, as not
only to be propagated all over the country of Moab,
to the fea-of Sodom ; but to have cions of them fent
even beyond the fea into foreign countries.
IDSi, knocked down, demolifhed ; that is, over
powered, intoxicated. The drunkards of Ephraim
-are called by the Prophet, chap, xxvni. i. V* "lybT].
See Schultens on Prov. xxin. 25. Gratius, fpeak
ing of the Mareotic wine, fays of it,
" Pharios quse fregit noxia reges." Cyneg. ver 312.
9. as with the weeping — ~\ For *D32, a ms reads
••ai. In Jer. XLViif. 32. it is 03D. lxx read 1222,
which I follow.
Ibid,. And upon thy vintage the deilroyer hath
fallen] bSi nT'n Tl'Sp bV). In thefe few words
thqre are two great miftakes ; which the text of Jer.
XLVIII. 32. redlifies: for "yv^p, it has IT'S!; and
for TT^n, "nty : both which corredlions the Chaldee
in this place confirms. As to the firft,
" Hefebon and Eleale, and
" The flowery dale of Sibmah cfad with vines,"
were never celebrated for their harvefts ; it was the
vintage that fuffered by the irruption of the enemy :
and'fo read lxx, and Syr. Ti^n is the noify acclama
tion of the treaders of the grapes : and fee what fenfe
this makes in the literal rendering of the Vulgate :
fuper meffem tuam " vox calcantium irruit." The
reading

CHAP. XVI. ISAIAH. 14j
reading in Jer. xlviii. 32. is certainly right, ^33 Tilif,
vaftator irruit. The fhout of the treaders does not
come in till the next verfe : in which the text of
Ifaiah in its turn mends that of Jeremiah, xlviii.
33. where inftead of the firft ITn, the ftout, we
ought undoubtedly to read, as here, yMT], th?
treader. 10. An end is put to the -fhouting] The lxx
,read Jl2iyn, paffive, and in the third perfon ; right
ly : for God is not the fpeaker in this place. The
¦rendering of lxx is rs'siravrat ya^ xsKtvirpioi. ;¦ which
laft word, neceffary to the rendering ofthe Hebrew^
and to the fenfe, is fupplied by mss Pachom. and.
I D. n. having been loft out ofthe other copies.
12. when Moab fliall fee — ^ For nK13, a ms
reads nKT, and fo Syr. and Chald. " Perhaps
" n^ni O is only a various reading of T^nbi ""O." sec
ker. A very probable conjedlure.
14. — and without ftrength] An antient ms,
with LXX, reads K*?!.

' CHAP. XVII.

This prophecy by its Title fhould relate only to
Damafcus : but it full as much concerns, and more
largely treats of, the kingdom of Samaria and the
Ifraelites, confederated with Damafcus and the Sy
rians againft the kingdom of Judah. It was deli
vered probably foon after the prophecies of the
Vllth and viiith chapters, in the beginning qf the
reign of Ahaz ; andwas fulfiUed by Tiglath Pilefer's-
taking Damafcus, and carrying the people captives
to Kir, (2 Kings xvi. 9.) and overrunning great
part of the kingdom of Ifrael, and carrying a great
number

J4!i . notes ok cilAP. xvif..
number of the ifraelites alfo captives to Affyria : and
ftifi more fully in regard to Ifrael, by the conqueft
of the kingdom, and the captivity of the people,
effedled a few years after by Shalmariefer. '
r. — a ruinous heap] For 'yD the- lxx read "»j?^,
Vulg. "^2- I follow the former.
«. The cities are deferted for ever] What has
Aroer on the river Arnon to do with Damafcus ?
and if there be another ArOer on the northern bor
der of the tribe of Gad, (as Reland feems to think
there might be,) this is not much more to the pur
pofe. Befides, the cities of Aroer, if Aroer itfelf is
a city, makes no good fenfe. The lxx, for lyijr,
Aroer, read ny ny, stg tov atwva, for ever, or for a
long duration. The Chald. takes the word for a
verb from mV, tranflating it linn, devaftabuntur.
The Syr. read l>yny. So that the reading is very
doubtful. I foUow the lxx, as making the plaineft
fenfe. 3. — the pride of Syria — ] For "WU Houbigant
reads jiKiy, the pride, anfwering, as the fentence
feems evidently to require, to TilD, the glory of If
rael. The conjedlure is fo very probable, that I
venture to foUow it.
5. — as when one gathereth — ~\ That is, the
king of Affyria Ihafi fweep away the whole body of
the pepple, as the reaper ftrlppeth off the whole
crop of corn ; and the remnant fhall be no more in
proportion, than the fcattered ears left to the gleaner.
The vafiey of Rephaim near Jerufalerri, was cele
brated for its plentiful harveft ; it is here ufed poe
tically for any fruitful country.
8. —the altars dedicated to the work of his
hands] The conftrudlion of the -ysrords, and the.
meaning of the fentence, in this place, are not ob
vious: all the antient verfions, and moft ofthe mo
dern, have miftaken it. The word nt^yn ftands in
7 regimine

CHAP. XVII. Is AIAH' . 143
regimine -with }y))n2\'D, not in appofition with it; it
means the altars of the work of their hands ; that is,
of the idols ; not which are the work of their hands.
Thus Kimchi has explained it, and Le Clerc has
followed him.
9. — the Hivites and the Amorites — -] e^linn
"J'toKni. No one has ever yet been able to make any
tolerable fenfe of thefe words. The tranflation of
the LXX has happily preferved what feems to be the
true reading of the Text, as it ftood in the copies of
their time ; though the words are now tranfpofed,
either in the Text, or in their Verfion ; ot AiMOppami
Kdt ot Evcuioi. It is remarkable, that many commen
tators, who never thought of admitting the reading ¦
of the LXX, yet underftand the paffage as referring
to that very event, which their verfion expreffes :
fb that it is plain, that nothing can be more fuitable
to the context. My Father faw the neceffity of ad
mitting this variation, at a time when it was not
ufual to make fb free with the Hebrew text. See
Lowth on the place.
10. — fhoots from a foreign foil] The pleafant
plants, and fhoots from a foreign foil, are allegori
cal expreffions for ftrange and idolatrous' worfhip;
vicious and abominable pradlices connedled with it ;
reliance on human aid, and on alliances entered into
with the neighbouring nations, efpecially Egypt:
to all which the Ifraelites were greatly addidled ; and
in their expedlations from which they . fhould be
grievoufly difappointed.
12 — 14. Wo to the multitude — '] The three laft
verfes of this chapter feem to have no relation to the
foregoing prophecy, to which they are joined. It
is a beautiful piece, ftanding fingly and by itfelf;
for neither has it any connedlion -with what follows':
whether it ftands in its right place, or not, I cannot
fay. It is a noble defcription of the formidable in
vafion.

144 NOTES ON CHAP. XVII^
Vafion, and of the fudden overthrow, of Senacherib :
which is intimated in the ftrongeft terms, and the
moft expreffive images ; - exadlly fuitable' to the
event. 12, 13. Like the roaring of mighty waters — ]-
Five words, three at the end of the- 12th verfe, and
two at the beginning of the 131!^, are omitted in
five MSs ; that i», in effedl, the repetition, contained
in the firft line of verffe 13th in this tranflation, is
not made. After having obferved, that it is equaUy
eafy to account for the omiffion of thefe words by a
tranfcriber, if they are genuine ; or their infertion,
if they are not genuine ; occafioned by his carrying
his eye backwards to the word D%i<7, or forwards
to ^iXty* ; I fhall leave it to the reader's judgement to
determine, whether they are genuine, or not.
14. — and he is no more] For lii^i^ ten mss,
(three Antient) and two Editions, and lxx, Syr.
Chald. Vulg. have ')33''X1. This particle, authenti
cated by fo many good vouchers, reftores the fen
tence to the true poetical form, implying a repeti
tion of fome part of the parallel line preceding,
thus :
" At the feafon of jvening, behold terror !
" Before the morning, and [behold] he is no more !"
See Prelim. Differt. p. xix. Note.

CHAP.

Chap, xvifi. ISAIAH. - , 145

CHAP. XVilt.

This is one of the irioft obfcure prophecies in-the
whole book of Ifaiah. The fubjedl of it, the end
and defign of it, the people to whom it is addreffed j
the hiftory to which it belongs, the perfon who fends
the meffengers, and the nation to whom the meffen
gers are fent ; are all obfcure and doubtful.
I . The winged cymbal] D^BM bs^JJ. I adopt
this as the moft probable of the many interpretations;
that have been given of thefe words. It is Bochart's :
fee Phaleg iv. 2. The Egyptian Siftrum is expreffed
by a periphrafis ; the Hebrews had no name for it in
their language, not having in ufe the inftrument' it
felf. -The cymbal they had ; an inftrument in its
ufe and found not much unlike to the fiftrum ; and
to diftinguifh from it the fiftrum, they called it the
Cymbal with wings. The cymbal was a hollow-
piece of metal, which being ftruck againft another,
gave a ringing found : the fiflrum was a round in^
ftrument, confifting of a broad rim of metal#
through which from fide to fide ran feveral loofe la
minae, or fmall rods, of metal, which being fhaken,
gave a like found ; thefe projedling on eich fide,
had fomewhat of the appearance of wings '; or might
be very properly exprefledTDy the fame word, which
the Hebrews ufed for wings, or for the extremity,
or a part of any thing projedling. The Siftrum is
given in a medal of Adrian, as the proper attribute
of Egypt. See Addifon on Medals, Series in. N*^
4, where the figure of it may be feen.-
In oppofition to other interpretations of thefe
words, which have prevailed, it may, be briefly ob-
voL. n. L ferved,.

146 ^*OTE5-o'N iehAp. x-vin.,
ferved, that blib^i is never ufed tq flgnifyj^a^oiw, nor-
f]22 applied,, to the fails of fhips.
, If therefore the wprds are rightly interpreted the
.winged Cymbal, meaning the -Siftrum,. Egypt muft-
be the country to which the prophecy is addrefled.
And upon this hypothefis the verfion and explana-- .
tion muft proceed.' ' I filrther fuppofe, that the pro
phecy was delivered before^enacherib's return frorri
his Egyptian expedition, which took up three years ;.
and that it was defigned to give to the Jews, and
perhaps likewife to the Egyptians, ah intimatiori of
God's counfels. in regard to the deftrudlion of their
greaf and powerful '«*emy. ,
Ibid. ; Whiph borders or tile rivers^ of Cufh]
What ar'e the- rivers of Cufh, whether the eafterre
branches' of the lo-w'er- Nile, theboundary of Egypt
towards Arabia, or the parts of the upper Nile
towards Ethiopia, it is not eafy to' 'determine. The
word ")2yD fignifies either on this fide, or on the fur
ther fide: I have made ufe of the. fame kind Of am
biguous' expreffion- in the tranflation.
2. — in veffels of papyrus]-' This circumftance
agrees perfedlly' -well with Egypt. I't is well known,
"that the Egyptians commonly ufed. on the Nile a-
fight fort of fhips, or boats, made of the reed Pa
pyrus. " Ex ipfo quidem papyro navigia. textint.!
Plin. xni. ri. - "
*' Conferitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro,." Lucan.. IV. 136.
• ¦.'Ibid. Go, ye fwift meffengers — ] To this na
tion before mentioned,, who, by the Nile, and by
their numerous canals, have the means of fpreading
the report, in the moft expeditious manner,. through
the whole country : go, ye fwift meflengers,, and-
carry this notice of God's defigns in regard tp them.
By the fwift m.eflengers are meaned, not any parti cular

chap. XVIII. ISAIAH. 147
cular perfons fpeciaUy appointed to this office, but
any the ufual conveyers of news whatfoever, travel
lers,, merchants, and the ..like, the inftriiments and-
agents of common fame : thefe are ordered to pub
lifh this declaration made by the Prophet throughout
Egypt, and to all the world ; and to excite their at
tention to the promifed vifible interpofition of God,
Ibid. . '—ftretched out iri length-^ — ^] Egypt, that
is,, the fruitful part of it, exclufive of the deferts on,
each fide, is one long vale, through the middle of
which rrins the Nile, bounded on each fide to the
Eaft and Weft by a chain of mountains ; feven hun
dred and fifty miles in length ; in breadth, from orie
tQtwo or three dayS journey j even at the wideft part
of the Delta, from Peliifium to Alexandria, not
above two hundred and fifty miles broad. Egmont
and Hayman, and Pococke's Travels.
Ibid. — fmoothed—] Either relating to the
pradlice of the Egyptian priefts, who made their bo
dies, fmooth by fhaving off their hair: fee Herod.
II. . 37 :; or rather to the country's being made
fmooth, perfedlly plain and level, by the overflow
ing of the Nile.
Ibid. — meted out by line — ] It is generally re-^
ferred to. the frequent neceffity of having recourfe to
menfuration in Egypt, in order .to determine the
boundaries after the inundations of the Nile : to
which even the origin of the fcience of. Geometry is
by fpme afcribed. Strabo, fib. xvn. fub init.
Ibid.- — trodden down — ] Suppofed to allude to
a peculiar method of tillage in ufe among the Egyp
tians. Both Herodotus (fib. 11.) and Diodorus
(lib. I.) fay, that when the Nile had retired within
its banks, and the ground became fomewhat dry,
they lowed their land, and tiien fent in their cattle
(their hogs, fays the former,) to tread in the feed;
and without any further care expedled the harvefl.
L 2 Ibid.

X48 ' NOTES ON CHAP. XVIU.
Ibid. — the rivers have nourifhed] The -wor'd
WT2 is generally taken to be an irregular form for
UD, have fpoiled, as an Antient ms lias it in this
place; andfo moft of the- verfions, both antient and
modern, underfland it. On which Schultens, Gram.
Heb. p. 491, has the following remark : " Ne mi
nimam quidem fpeciem veri habet 1J«D, Efai. xviii;
». elamm pro ITD, diripiunt. Hasc effet anomalia,
cui nihil fimile in toto linguae ambitu. In tafibus
nil finire, vel fateri ex mera agi conjedlura,^ tutiuS
juftiufque." Radicem «D olim extare potuiffe, quis
neget ? Si Cognatum -quid fedlandum erat, ad nO^
CO temfit, potius decurrendum fuiffet: ut WD pr-o
ID fit enuntiatum, vel VD. Digna phrafis, flumina
. contemnunt terram, i. e. inundant." " ND, Arab, ex-'
tidit fe fuperbius, item fubjecit fibi : unde prast. pi.
IXD fubjecerunt fibi, i. e inundarunt:" Simonis
Lexic. Heb.
A learned friend has fuggefted to me another ex
planation of the word. KD, Syr. and NtD, Chald.
fignifies uber, mamma ; agreeably to which the verb
might fignify to nourift. This would perfedlly well
fuit with the Nile : whereas nothing can be more
difcordant than the idea of fpoiiing and plundering ;
for to the inundation of the Nile Egypt owed every
thing; the fertility ofthe foil, and the very foil it--
felf Befides, the overflowing of the Nile came ori
by gentle degrees, covering without laying wafte the
country. " Mira ^que natura fluminis, quod cum
Csjteri omnes abluant terras & evifcerent, Nilus tanto
cseteris, major adeo nihil exedit, nec abradit, ut con
tra adjiciat vires ; minimumque in eo lit, quod fo
lum temperet. lllato enim limo arenas faturat ac
jfungit: debetque iUi iEgjptus non tantum , fertilita-
tem terrarum, fed ipfas." Seneca, Nat. Quaeft. iv.
2. I take the liberty, therefore, which Schultens feems

CHAP. XVIII. -I rS A I A H. 149
feems to think allowable in this place, of hazarding
a conjedlural interpretation.
3. When the ftandard is lifted up — } I take God
to be the agent in this verfe ; and that by the
Standard and the Trumpet are meant the me
teors, the thunder, the lightning, the ftOrm, earth
quake, and tempeft, by which Senacherib's army
IhkU be deftroyed, or by which at leaft the deftruc-
tion of it fhall be accoriipanied ; as it is defcribed in
chap. XXIX. 6. and xxx. 30, 31. and x. 16, 17.
See alfo Pf. txxvi. and the Title of it according to
LXX, Vulg. and ^thiop. They are called by a
bold metaphor, the ftandard ..lifted up, and the
trumpet founded. The latter is ufed by Homer, I
tfiink, with great force, in his introdudlion to the
battle of the Gods ; though I find it has difgufted
forae of the minor critics :
Epa%£ 5' ivpstoi %6uv,
, Afji,<pt h (roihTTfy^sv p.syoig apccvog. II. XXI. 388.
*' Heaven in loUd thunders bids the trumpet found,
" And wide beneath them groans the rending ground." Pope.
4. For thus hath jehovah faid unto me — ] The
fubjedl of the remaining part of the chapter is, that
God would comfort and fupport his own people,
though threatened with immediate deftrudlion by
the .Affyrians ; that Senacherib's great defigns and
mighty efforts againft them fhould be fruftrated,
and that his vaft expedlations fhould be rendered
abortive, when he thought them mature, and juft.
ready to be crowned with fuccefs; that the chief
part of his army fhould be made a prey for the beafts.
of the field, and the fowls of the air, (for this is the,,
meaning of the allegory continued through the 5 th
and 6th' verfes;) and that Egypt, being defivered
L 3 from

JJO NOTES ON CHAP; XVim
firom his oppreffiorii arid .avenged:>'by ' the hand of
God ofthe wrongs which fhe; had fuffered, fhould
fetrirri thanks for,- thfe wonderful .deliverance; botii of
herfelf and of the Jews, frorri thia moft powerful ad-^
verfaryi ¦ ¦. '!' ,.,.."
'Ibid. Like the clear heat — ] The fame: images
are employed .'hy. an Arabian poet-:
" Solis more' fervens, diim frigus'; quflmque'Std^t '
" Sirius, turn vero frigus ipfe & umbrk." '
"Which is illuftrated in the Note by a like paffage
from another Arabian poet : ,,,., ,, .
" Calor eft hyem^, refrigerium asflate."
Excerpta ex Haraafa ; publifhed by Schultens, at
the end pf Erpenius's Arabic,' Grammar, p. 425.
Ibid. ' — after rkin — "] ' ,""i.1ii hic fignificat plu
viam ; juxta illud, fparget' nubes pluviam fudrn. Job
xxxvn. II." Kimchi. In which place of Job the
Chaldee Paiaphraft does indeed.- explain Vll'X by
nniOD; and.fq again yer. 21 ; and chap, xxxvi. 30.
This meaning of the word feems to make..,, the beft
fenfe in this place ; it is to be wifhed, that it were
better fupported. . .
'.'rbid.V— in the day of harveft.] Foroni, in the
heat, five MSS, (three Aritiertt,) lxx, Syr. and
Vulg.' read QID in the dayi The niiftake feems .to
have rifen from DnS in the line abqve.
* 5._— the bloflbm — ] Heb. her bloffom ;' n^iJ :
th'at 'Ts, the' bloffom of the vine, ]3l, uriderftood,
vi''hich is of the common gender. See Gen. xl.' 10.
Note, t|iat, by _ the defedlive pundluation pf thi?
wprd, niany interpi'eters, and our tranflators. among
tiie reft, 'have beiin'led into, a grievous miftake, (for
h',ow can the f^''eUing grape become a bloffom ?)'
liking the word'hiJJ for the Predicate ; whereas it is
the

CHAP. xvm. ISAIAH. 15!
the Subjedl pf the Propofition, or the Nominative^
k:afe to the Verb.
7. .—a gift— ] The Egyptians, .were in alliance
with the kingdom of Judah, and were . feUow-fuf-
ferers with the Jews under the invafion of their com-i
mon enemy Senacherib ; and fo were very nearly
interefted in the great and miraculous deliverance of
that kingdom by the deftrudlion of the Affyriari ar-.
iny. Upon which wonderfril' event, it is faid, a
Chron. xxxn. 23. that " many brought gifts unto
^' JEHOVAH to Jerufalem, and prefents to Hezekiah
"king of Judah; fo that he was magnified of all
*' nations from thenceforth." It is npttO.be doubted,
that among thefe the Egyptians diftinguifhed them
felves in their ackriowlegements on this occafion. '
Ibid, —from a people — "] The lxx and Vulg.
read DVD ; which is confirmed by "the repetition of
it in the next line. Tfie difference is of importance :
for; if this be the true reading, the predidlion of
the admiffion of Egypt into the true Church of God
is not fo explicit as" it might otherwife feem to. be.
However, that event is ^:learly foretold at the end of
the next chapter.

CHAP. XIX.

Not many years after the deftrudlion of Senapher
rib's army before Jerufalem, by which : the Egyp
tians were freed from- the yoke, with.; which they
were threatened by fo po-werful an enemy, who^ had
,'carried on a fuccefsful war of three years continu
ance againft them ; tiie affairs of Egypt were again
thrown into confufion by inteftine broils amqrig
themfelves; which ended in a.perfed anarchy, that
L 4 lafted

I^a NO'TES ON CHAP. XIX.
lafted fome fevv years: this was followed by an Ari-t
ftocracy, or rather Tyranny, of twelve princies,' who
di-vi'ded the country between them, and at laft by
the fole dominion of Pfammitichus, which he held
for fifty-four, years. Not long" after that followed.
the invafion and conqueft of Egypt by ' Nebuchad-
n&zzar; and then by the Perfians' under Carribyfes,
the fon of Cyrus. The yoke of the Perfians was fo
grievous, that the conqueft of the Perfians by Alex-:
ander may -ivell be confidered as a deliverance to.
^gy,pt; efpecially as he and his fUcceffors greatly
favoured the people, and improved the country. Tq
allthefe events the Prophet feems to haye had _a
vie-w in this chapter : and in particular, from ver.
1 8, ¦ the prophecy of the' propagation of the true re
ligion in Egypt feems to point to the flourifhing
ftate of Judaifm in that country, in confeqtienCe of
the great favour fhewn to the Jews by the Ptoleriiies.
^lexarider himfelf fettled a great many Jews in his
new city Alexandria, granting them privileges equal
to thofe of the MacedOhi'dns. - The firft Ptolemy,
called Soter, carried great numbers of them thither,
and gave them fuch encouragement," that ftill more
of them were colledled there from different parts ; fo
that Philo reckons, that in his time there were a
million of Jews in that country. Thefe worfhiped
the God of their fathers ; and their example and in
fluence muft have had a great effedl in fpreading the
knowlege and worfhjp ofthe true God through the
whole country. See Bifhop Newton on the Prq-
phecies, Differt. xn.
4. — cruel lords] Nebuchadnezzar in the firft
place, and afteniVards the whole fucceffion qf Per
fian kings, who in general -wej-e hard m^^^rs, and
grievoufly Opprefled the country. Note, that ¦ for
ntd'p, a MS reads hi'bp, agreeable tp 'W^hicl^ is tfie
rendering of LXX, Syr. and Vulg, 6. —ftiall

CHAP. XIX. ISAIAH. I53
6. -—ftiaU become putrid] in''3tKn, this fenfe of
this word, which, Simonis gives in his Lexicon, from
the meaning of it in Arabic, fuits. the place much
better than any other interpretation hitherto? given.
And that the word in Hebrew had fome fuch fignifi
cation is probable from 2 Chron. xxij?. 19. -where
the Vulgate' renders it by polluit, and the Targum by
profanavit and abominabile fecit , which the context in
that place feems plainly to require. The forrri of
the verb here is very irregulair ; and the Rabbins and
Grammarians feem to give no probable account
ofit.
; . 8. An4 the fifhers-—] There was great plenty of
fifh in Egypt: fee Num. xi. 5. " The Nile, fays
" Diodorus, lib. i. abounds with incredible num-
" bers of all forts of fifh." And much more the
lakes ; Egmont, Pococke, &c.
ID. — her ftores— ] TfJIDtt', cuTroSriyMt, Aquila.
Ibid. — all that make a gain of pools for fifhj
This obfcure line is rendered by different interpreters
in very different manners. Kimchi explains ^D!IK,
as if it were the fame with >DiV, frotn Job xxx. J15.
In which he is followed by fome of the . Rabbins^
and fupported by lxx: and nsiy, which I tranflate
gain, and which fome take for nets, or inclofures,
the LXX render by ^vSov^, ftrong drink, or beer;
which it is well known was much ufed in Egypt :
and fo' likewife the Syriac, retaining the Hebrew
word KiDiy. I fubmit thefe very different interpre
tations to the reader's judgement. The verfion of
the LXX is as follows : k«/ ¦nravrsg ol usroiavrsg rov ^v9ov
Kv^rfitio-ovroti, Kxt 4'U%af ¦zB-ov.scma-i. " And all they
" that make barley-wine fhall mourn, and be grieved
fS \n foul." , ' , •
1 1 . — ^have counfeUed a brutifh counfel] The
fentence, as it now 'ftands in the flebrew, is imper
fedl : it wants the verb. Archbifhop Secker con
jedlures.

7^4 N.aiLBa ON CHAP. XlXi
jedteesv, that theTTinrdsfltnsrj nVf fhould be- tran-
ipofe4.':'>whicl would iri. fome degree remove the
difiurult!y.'.I-,Bnf itcisiifcb he obferved^,; that the tranfla-
tOB-d^the-iVrilgatenfeemStto ha-ve found:, in: his copy
t&e:ieeiib:'C{V> addeAafter ny*lS) : *' Sapientes confili- ;
*' arii Pharaonis, <5fejfCT"«K* eonfilium* infipiens." ' This
is probably the lirue reading; it is perfedlly agreea^
Hei to the. Hebrew -idipait*, makes th'e conftrudlion of
the .fenflbncfe. clear, and renders the : tranfpofition df
the: wo'nis! above mentioned unneceffary..-;
: .'.'M..: ft— let them come^r-r-J .Here tifo a word feems
to have been left out of the text. After TiDDn, two
"MS-?t^ohp Anhent) addM2'', let- them come.' > Which,
if we .confider the form and the conftrudlion of the
lentenCE?i has very fnuch the appearance of being ge
nuine: otherwife the connedlive conjundlion, at the
beginning of the next: member, is not only fuper-
fluous, but embarraffing:. -: See- alfo the verfion of
i-xx, in which the fame deficiency is manifeft., ¦
. Ibid. — and let them , declare] " For lyr, let
thm'knmv^ perhaps we ought to read lynv, let them
make known." secxer. The lxx and Vulg. favour
this<Teading :, s(7ro!Xfi;ai«i', indicent. •!
13. They have caufed] Thctext'has ly/ini, and
they have caufed to err. ..Fifty msis, thirteen Edi
tions, Vulg. arid Chald. Omit the V"
Ibid. — pillars — ] n33, to be pointed as plural
withbut doubt. So Grotius, and fo Chald.
14. —in the midft of them— ] ' " DllpJl, lxx,
¦*' quod forte redlius." secker. So likewife Chald.
16. — the Egyptians fhaU be — ] rrP, plural, ms
Bodl. LXX. and Chald. This is not propofed as an
Emendation, for either form is proper.
17. And the land of Judah — ] The threatening
hand of God will be : held out, and fliaken over
Egypt, from the fide of Judea ; through which tjTe
. - . ^.* .'.¦- Affyrians

CHAP.XrS. 1 9 At Att. 15^
Affyrians. ;will: march ta invade it. Five mss and
two Editions have nac6. .. " -
18. — ^theCity of the Sun] Dnnn yvj this- paf
fage is attehded with much difficulty and obfcurity.
Firft, in regard to the true reading. It is welt
known, that Qnias apptlied it to his own. views, ei
ther to procure from the king of Egypt permiffion
to build his Temple in the Hieropolitan Nome, or
to gain credit and authority to it when bmlt ; from
the notion which he induftrioufly propagated, that
Ifaiah had in this place prophcfied ofthe building
of .fuch a Temple. He pretended, that the very
place where.it fhould he. built, was expreffly named
by the Prophet Dnnn T'V, the City of the Sun. This
poffibly may havp. been .th^. original reading. ' The
•prefent Text has D"inn T'V, the City of Deftrudlion :
which fome fuppofe to have been introduced 7 into
the Jews of Paleftine afterwards.; to exprefs their de
teftation of the place, being muCh offended with
this fchlfmatical Temple in, Egypt. Some think the
latter to have beert the true reading, and that the
Prophet himfelf gave this turn to the name out of
.dontempt, and 'to intimate the demolition* of this
Hieropolitan Temple ; which in effedl' was deftroyed
by Vefpafian's orders after that of Jerufalem; " Vi-
" detur Propheta confulto fcripfiffe D^^ pro Cin, ut
" alibi fcribitur V^ n2 proba' n'<2, rW2 Vii pro
" bV2 va, &c. 'Vide Lowth in loc." secker. But
on fuppofition, that Dinn TV is the true reading,
others underfland it differendy. The word Din in-
Arabic fignifies a Lion: and- Conrad Ikenius has
written a differtation (Differt. ' Philol. Theol. xvi.)
to prove that the place here mentioned is not Helio
polis, as it is commonly fuppofed to be, but LeOn-
tppolis in the Heliopolitan Nome, as it is indeed
called in the letter, whether: real' or, pretended,, of
Onias to Ptolemy, which Jofephus has inferted in
his

;|j6 NOTES ON <!HAP. XIX.
his Jewifh, Antiqiiities, fib. xm. cap. 3. And I
find, that feveral perfons of great learnirig and judge-
.riient think, that Ikeniushas provedthe point beyond
jcontradi<ftion. . See Chriftian. MuUerl Satura Ob
ferv. Philolog. Michaelis Bibliothek Oriental, part
-V. p. 17,1. ( But after all I believe, that neither
Onias, npr Heliopolis, • rior Leontopolis, has any
thing to do with this fubjedl. The application of
this place, of Ifaiah to Onias's purpofe feems to have
been. a mere inventioA; and, in confequence of it,
thett may perhaps have been fome unfair managiA-
ment to accominodate the Text to that purpofei^
which has been carried even further th^n the Hei-
fcrew text : for the Greek verfion has been either
tranflated from a corrupted text, or wilfully mif-
trariflated or corrupted, to ferve the fame caufe:
the place is there called ¦aroXig Aa-slsn, the City of
Righteoufnefs ; a name apparently contrived by
Onias's party, to give credit to their Temple, which
was to rival that of Jerufalem. Upon the whole^
the true reading of the Hebrew text in this piace is
very uncertain ; nine mss and feven Editions have
D*t7, fo likewife Sym. Vulg.; Arab.', lxx Comph
On the other hand Aquila, Theodot. and Syr. read
vm ; the Chaldee paraphrafe takes in both
readings. < The reading of the Text being fo uncertain, nd
one can pretend to determine what the city was that
is here mentioned by name ; much lefs to determine ^
what the four other cities were which the Prophet
do^ not name. I take the whole paffage, from the
1 8th verfe to the end of the chapter, to contain a
general intiriiation of the future propagation of the
knowlege of the true God in Egypt and Syria, un
der the fucceffors of Alexander; and, in confe
quence of this propagation, of the early reception of
the; Gofpel in the fame countriesj when' it fhould ba
. L pub-

CHAP, xix.' ISAIAH. t^J
publiflied to the world. See further on this fubjedl
Prideaux Connedl. an. 149. Dr. Owen's Inquiry
into the prefent ftate ofthe lxx verfion, p. 41. and,
Bryant's Obfervations on Antient hifto'r}^, p. 124.

CHAP. XX.

Tharthan befieged Afhdod, or Azotus; which
probably belonged at this time to Hezekiah's domi
nions, fee 2 Kings xvin. 8. The people expedled
to be relieved by the Cufliites of Arabia, and by the
Egyptians. Ifaiah was, ordered to go uncovered,
that is, without his upper garment, the rough- man
tle commonly worn by the ProphetSj (fee Zech.
xin. 4.) probably three days, to fhew that within
three years the town fhould be taken, after the de
feat of the Cufhites and Egyptians by the king of
Aflyria, which event fhould make their cafe defpe
rate, and induce them to furrender. Azotus was a
ftrong place : it afterwards held out twenty-nine
years againft Pfammitichus king of Egypt, Herod.
11. 157. - Tharthan was one of Senacherib's generals,
2 Kirigs XVIII. 17. and Tirhakah king ofthe Cufli
ites was in alliance with the kirg of Egypt againft
Senacherib. Thefe circumftances make it probable/
that by Sargon is. meant Senacherib, It might be
one of the feven names by which, Jerom, on this
place, fays he was caUed. He is caUed Sacherdonus
and Sacherdan in the book of Tobit. The taking of
Azotus muft have happened before Senacherib's at
tempt on Jerufalem ; when he boafted of his late
conquefts, ch. xxxvn. 25. And the warning of
the Prophet had a principal refpedl to the Jews alfo,
who were too much inclined to depend upon the
afllftance

IjS NOTES ON CHAP.X:X.
aififlance of Egypt. As to the reft, hiftory and
chronology affording us no light, it may be im
poffible to clear either this, or any other hypothefis,
(which' takes Sargorito be Shalmanefer, or Afarhad
don, &c.) from all difficulties.
It is not probable, that the Prophet walked un
covered and barefoot for three years : his appearing
in that manner was a fign, that within three years
the Egyptians and Cufhites fliould be in the fame
condition, being conquered and made captives by
the king of Affyria. The time was denoted; as well
as the event: but his appearing, in that manner for
three whole years could give no , premonition of the
time at aU. It is probable therefore, that the Pro
phet was ordered to walk fo for three days, to de
note the accomplifhment of the event in three years ;
a day for a year, according to the prophetical rule :
Nuriib. XIV. 34. Ezek. iv. 6. The words D'D^ C^W,
three days, may poflibly have been loft out of the
text, at the end ofthe fecond verfe, after e)n% bare
foot ; or after the fame word in the third verfe :
where, in the Alexandrine and Vatican copies of
, LXX, and in mss Pachom, and i D. n. the words
'tpiot. etvj are twice expreffed : perhaps inftead of ]i?b]if
p'a> tiie Greek tranflator might read a^2ty ^b\tf, by
his own miftake, or by that ofhis copy, after e)n^ in
the third -verfe, for which ftands the firft rpia stjj in
the Alexandrine, arid Vatican lxx, and in the two
MSS above mentioned 

CHAP.

CHAP.* xxr. iSAiAkv' 'i^ef

¦'), ,(.

CHAP. XXI.

The ten, firft verfes of this chapter contain a pre
didlion ofthe taking of Babylon by the Medes- and
Perfians. It is a paffage fingular in its kind, for its
brevity and force- for the variety and rapidity of thfe
movements ; and for the ftrength, and energy of co
louring with which the adlion and - evertt is painted,
-It 'opens with the Propliet's- feeing at a diftance the
dreadful ftorm that, is gathering, and readyto burft
-upon Babylon : the event is intimated in ,general
terms; and God's orders are iffued tp the Perfians
and Medes to fet forth upon the expedition, which.
he has given them in charge. Upon this the Prophet: ,
enters into the midft of the adlion : and in the per
fon of -Babylon expreffes in the ftrOngeft terms the
aftonifhment and horror that feizes her on the fud
den furprize of the city, at the very feafon dedicated
to pleafure and feftivity, ver. 3, 4. Then in his
own perfon defcribes the fituation of things there ;,
the fecurity of the Babylonians, -and in the midft of
their feafting the alarm of war, ver. 5. The event
is then declared in a very fingular manner. God
orders the Prophet to fet a watchman to look, out,
and to report what he fees: he fees two companies.
marching onward, reprefehting by their appearance
the two nations that we're to execute God's orders;.
who. declare, that Babylon is- fallen : ver. 6- — 9.
But what is this to' the Prophet, and to the Jews,
the objedl of his miniftry ? The application,- the end,
and defign of the.prophecy, is admirably given in a.
fliort expreflive addrefs to the Jews, partly in ,the
perfon of Gbd, partly in that of the Prophet : " G
2 ^ my

l60 NOTES ON CHAP. XXI.
my threfhing — " " O my people, whom for youf
punifhment I fhall make fubjedl to the Babylonians^
to try and to prove you, and to feparate the chaff
from the corri, the bad from the ^od ariiortg you;
hear this for your confolation: your punifhment,
your flavery and Oppreffion, will have an end in the
deftrudliori of your oppreffors." " .
1. — the Defert of the fea] This plainly me'arts
Babylon, whjch is the fubjedl of the prophecy. The
country aboiit Babylon, and efpecially below it
towards the ff a,' was a great flat morafs, ofteri over
flowed by th^ Euphrates and Tigris. It became ha-
. bitable by being drained by the many canals that
were made in it.
Herodotus i. 184. fays, that "Semiramis con-*
" fined the Euphrates within its .channel, by raififig
*',great dams againft it; for before it overflowed the
.** whole country hke a fea." And Abydenus,
(quoting Megaflhenes, apud Eufeb. Praep. -Evang",
IX. 41.) fpeaking of the building qf Babylon by
Nebuchadonofor, " it is reported, that all this part
" was covered with water, and was called the fea ;
" and that Belus drew off the' waters, conveying
" them into proper receptacles, and furrounded Ba^r
*' bylon with' a waU," "When the Euphrates was
turned out of its channel by Cyrus, it was fuffered
ftill to drown the neighbouring country ; the Per
fian government, which did not favour the place,
taking no care to remedy this inconvenience, it be
came in time a great barren moraffy defert, which
event the Title 'of the prophecy may perhaps inti
mate." Such it was originally ; fuch it became after
the taking of the city by Cyrvis ; and fuch it conti
nues to this dav.
Ibid. Like tiie fouthern tempefls — '] The moft
vehement ftorms, to which Judea Was fubjedl, came
from the great d'efert country to the fouth of it.
" Out

CHAP. XXI. , ISAI Ah. iSi
" Out' of the fouth cometh the whirlwind/* Job
xxxvn. 9. " And there came a great wind from
the wildernefs, and fmote the four corners of the,
houfe." Ibid. x. 19. For the fituation of Idumea,
the country (as I fuppofe) of Job, (fee Lam. iVi
21. compared with Job i. i.) was the fame" in this
f efpedl with that of Judea.
" And JEHOVAH fhall appeacover them,
' " And his arrow Ihall go forth as the li,nhtning:
" And the Lord jehov.'vh fhall found the trumpet ;
" And ihall march in the whirlwinds of tbe fouth."
Zech. IX. i4i
2. The plunderer is plundered, and the deftroyef
is deftroyed.] mi© mil^m TJUIJnan. The MSS
vary in expreffing. or omitting the i in thefe four
words. Ten mss are without the ") in the fecond
word, and eight Mss are without the 1 in the fourth
word : which juftifies Symmachus, who has rendered
them paffively : 0 aSsruv aSsrstrai, xai 0 raKafTroopilfuj))
ra'Kai'noopit. He read Tntt', "Vi^y. Cocceius (Lexi
con in voce) obferves, that the Chaldee very often
renders the verb 1,12 by til, fpoliavit ; and in this
place, and in xxxin. i. by the equivalent' word
p:K: and in chap. xxiv. 16. both by vyA and x\2:
and Syr. in this place (render it by D'^a, opfreffit.
Ibid, -—her vexations — ~\ Heb. her fighing : that
IS, the fighing caufed by her. So Kimchi on the
place: "Innuit illos, qui gemebant ob timorem
ejus ; quia fuffixa nominum referuntur ad agentem
& ad patientem." "Omnes qui gemebant a facie
J regis Babylonis, requiefcere feci eos." Chald. And
fo likewifp Ephrsem Syr. in loc. Edit. Affemani:
" Geiriitum ejus: dolorem fcificet & lachrymas,
quas Chaldaei reliquis per orbem gentibus ciere per-
gunt. 5. The table is prepared— i] In Heb. the verbs >
are in the Infinitive Mode abfolute ; as in Ezek. i.
VOL. n. ^i 14'

464 notes ON' CHAI*. xxr.
14. " And the animals, ran and returned, 2^t!}^ HVAl,
like the appearance of lightning :" juft as the Latins
fay currere & reverti, for currebant 8c revertebantur.
See chap. xxxn. 11. and the Note there.
7. And he faw a chariot with two riders ; A rider
on an afs, a rider on a camel.] This, paflage is ex
tremely obfcure from the ambiguity of the term 23"),
which is ufed three times; and which fignifies a
chariot, or any other vehicle, or the rider in it ; or
a nder on a horfe, or any other animal ; or a com
pany of chariots, or riders. The Prophet may pof
fibly mean a cavalry in two parts, with two forts of
' riders ; riders on affes, or mules, and riders' on ca
mels : or led on by two riders, one on an afs, and
one on a camel. However, fo far it is pretty clear,
that Darius and Cyrus, the Medes and the Perfians,
are intended to be diftinguiflied by the two riders,
, or tiie two forts of cattle. It appears from Herodo
tus, I. 80. that the baggage of Cyrus's army was
carried on camels. In iiis engagement with Croefus,
he took off the baggage from the camels, and
mounted bis horfemen upon them : the enemy's
horfes, offended with the fm^ell of the camels, turned
back and fled.
8. he that looked out on the watch — ^ , The pre
fent reading JTIK, a lion, is fo unintelligible, and
the miftake fo obvious, that I make no doubt that
the true readicg is niiin, as the Syriac tranflator
m;.r)-'feft'y found it in his copy, who renders it by
Kpn, fpeculator.
^g, — a man, one ofthe tv.-o riders] So the Sy
riac underfta,nds _it ; and Ephra?m Syr.
ID. O my threiliing — ] " O thou, the objedt
ivpon which I fliall exercife the feverity of my difci
pline ; that flialt lie under my afflidling hand, like
corn fpread upon the floor to be threified out and'
winnowed, to fepafate the chaff from the wheat !"
The image of threfhi::g, is frequently ufed by the
liebi^ew

tHAP. XXI. ISAI Att. 1:63
Hebrew poets with great elegance and force, to ex
prefs the punifhment of the wicked and the trial of
. the good, or the utter difperfion and deftrudlion of
God's enernie's. Of the different ways of threfhing
in ufe among the Hebrews, and the manner of per
forming them, fee Note onchap. xxvni. 27.
Our tranflators have taken the liberty of ufing the
word threfting in a paffive fenfe, to exprefs the ob^
jedl or matter that is threflied : jn which I have fol
lowed them, not being able to exprefs it more pro
perly, without departing too much from the form
and letter of the original. Son of my floor, Heb. It is
an idiom of the Hebrew language to call the effedl, the
objedl, the adjundl, any thing that belongs in al
moft ariy way , to another, the fon of it. " O my
" threfhing — " The Prophet abruptly breaks off
the fpeech of God, and inftead of continuing it iri
the form, in which he had begun,' and in the perfon
of God, " this I declare unto you by my Prophet;"
he changes the form of addrefs, and adds, in his
own perfon, " this I declare unto you from God."
II, 12. The Oracle concerning Dumah.] ' ' Pro
nan Codex R. Meiri habet DHN ; & fie lxx. Vid.
Kimchi ad h. 1." Biblia Michaelis, Halae 1720. not.
adL This prophecy, from the uncertainty of the oc
cafion on which it was uttered, and from the brevity
of the expreffion, is extremely obfcure. The Edom
ites as well as Jews were fubdued by the Babylonians.
They inquire of the Prophet, how long their fub
jedlion is to laft : he intimates, that the Jews fhould
be delivered from their captivity ; not fo the Edom
ites. Thus far the interpretation feems to carry
with it fome degree of probability. WJiat the
meaning of the laft line may be, I cannot pretend
to divine. In this difficulty the Hebrew mss give
no affiftance. The mss of the lxx, and the frag-
M a. ments

l64 NOTES ON CHAP. XX? »
ments of the other" Greek verfions, give fome varia
tions, but no light. This being the cafe, I thought
it beft to give an exadl literal tranflation of the
whole two verfes; which may ferve to enable the
Englifh reader to judge in fome meafure of the foun
dation of the various interpretations, that have been.
given of them.
13. The Oracle concernihg Arabia.] This Title
is -ef doubtful authority. In the firft place, becaufe
it is not in many of the mss of the lxx : it is in
MSS Pachom. and i D. 11. only, as far as I can find
V ith certainty : fecondiy, from the fingularity of the
' phrafeology ; for Klt'D is generally prefixed to its
objedl without a prepofition, as ^33 Ktwa ; and never
but in this place with the prepofition 2- Befides, as.
the word 21iV2 occurs at the very beginning of the
prophecy itfelf, the firft word but one, it is much
to be fufpedled that fome one, taking it for a pro
per name and the objedl of the prophecy, might
note it as fuch by the words inyi K2/D written in the
margin, from whence they might eafily get into the
Text. The lxx did not take it for a proper name ;
but render it la-irs^ag, and fo Chald. whom I follow :
for, otherwife, the foreft in Arabia is fo indetermi
nate and vague a defcription, that in effedl it means
nothing at all. This obfervation might have been,
of good ufe in, clearing up the foregoing very ob
fcure prophecy, if any light hadarifien from joining
the two together by removing the feparating Title :;
but I fee no connexion between them.
This prophecy was to have been fulfilled within a;
year of the time of its deliverjf, fee ver. 1,6 ; and it
was probably delivered about the fame time -mth the.
reft in tiiis part of the book, that is, foon before or
after the 14th of Hezekiah, the year of Senacherib's
invafion. In his firft march into judea, or in his-
return from the Egyptian expedition,, he , might per-
3, haps.

CHAP. XXI. ISAIAH. 1S5
haps overrun thefe feveral clans of Arabians : their
¦diftrefs ort fome fuch Occafion is the fubjedl of this
prophecy. 14. — the fouthern country] ©a/jUav, lxx^ Au
ftri, Vulg. they read ^D^/1, which feems to be right.
For probably the inhabitants of Tema might be in
volved in the fame calamity with their brethren and
neighbours of Kedar, and not in a condition to give
them affiftance, and to relieve them, in their flight
before the enemy, with bread and water. To bring
forth bread and water is an inftance of common hu
manity in fuch cafes of diftrefs ; efpecially in thefe
defert countries, in which the common neceffaries
of life, more particularly water, are not eafily to be
met with or procured. Mofes forbids the Am
monite and Moahite to be admitted into the congre
gation of the Lord to the tenth generation : one rea-
'fon which he giyes for this reprobation is their omif
fion of the coramon offices of humanity towards the
Ifraelites ; ' ' becaufe they met them not with bread
and water in the way, when they came forth out of
Egypt." Deut. xxin. 4.
17. — the mighty bowmen] Sagittariorum.- for-
tium, Vulg. tranfpofing the two words, and read
ing, TWp '•Ilia ; which feems to- be right.
Ibid. For jehovah hath fpoken it.] The,pro-
phetic Carmina of Marcius, foretelling the battle of
Cannae, Liv. xxv. 12. conclude with the fame kind
of folemn form; " Nam mihi ita Jupiter fatus eft."
Obferve, that the word DiO (to pronounce, to' de
clare,) is the folemn word appropriated to the deli
vering of prophecies: " Behold, I am againft the
Prophets, faith (DK3)^ jehovah, who ufe their
tongues, D^i2 iaK3''l, and folemnly pronounce, Hc
fcath pronounced it." Jer. xxm. 31.

M 3 GHAP.

i6& NOTES ON ' ' CHA P. xxn.
CHAP. XXIL . ' '

This Prophecy, ending with the 14th verfe of this
chapter, is intitled, " The Oracle concerning the
Valley of Vifion," by which is meant Jerufalem, be
caufe, ' fays Sal. b. Melech, it was the place of pro
phecy. Jerufalem, according to Jofephus^ was built
upon two oppofite hills, Sion and Acra,, feparated
by a valley in the midft : he fpeaks of another broad
valley between Acra and Moriah, Bell. Jud. v. 13.
VI. 6. It was the feat of Divine Revelation, the
place v/here chiefly prophetic vifion was given, and
where God manifefted hinifelf vilibly in the Holy
Place. The Prophecy foretells tiie invafion of Jeru
falem by the Affyrians under Senacherib ; or by the
Chaldeans under Nebuchadnezzar. Vitringa ' is. of
. opinion, thatthe Prophet has both in view; that, of
the Chaldeans in the firft part, ver. i — 5. (which
he thinks relates to the flight of Zedekiah, 2 Kings
xxv, 4, 5.) and that of the Aflyrians in the latter
part; v/hich agrees with the circumftances of that
time, and particularly defcribes the preparations
made by Hezekiah for the defence of the city, v. 8
—II. CTiiparc 2 Chroa. xxxn. 2 — 5,
I. —are gone up to the houfe-tops.] The houfes
in the Eaft «-crc in antient times, as they are ftill
generally, built in one and the fame uniform man
ner. The roof or top of the fipufe is always flat,
covered with broad ftones, or a ftrong plafter of ter
race, and .guarded on every fide with a low parapet
wall : fee Deut. xxn. 8. The terrace is frequenfed
as much as any part of t'he houfe. On this, as the
feafon favours, they walk, they eat, they fleep, they
trarifa^

CHAP. XXII, ISAIAH. , 167
tranfadl bufinefs, (i Sam. ix. 25. fee alfo the lxx
in that place,) they perform their devotions ; (Adls
X. 9.)' The houfe is built with a court within, into
which, chiefly the windows open ; thofe that open to
the ftreet are fo obftru'^led with lattice work, that
no one either without or within can fee through
them. "Whenever therefore any thing is to be feen
or heard in the ftreets, any public fpedlacle, any
alarm of a public nature ; every one immediately
goes up to the houfe-top to fatisfy his curiofity.
In the fame manner, when' any one had occafion to
make any thing public, the readiefl and moft effec
tual way of doing it was to proclaim it from the
houfe-tops to the people in the ftreets. " "What ye
hear in the ear, that publifh ye on the houfe-top,"
faith our Saviour, Matt. x. 27. The people's run
ning all to the tops of their houfes gives a lively
image of a fudden general alarm. Sir John Char
din's MS Note on this place is as follows: " Dans
les Feftes pour voir pafler quelque chofe, & dans les
maladies ppur les annoncer aux voifins en allumant
des lumieres, le peuple monte fur les terraffes."
3. — are gone off together.] There feeriis to be
fomewhat of an inconfiftency in the fenfe, accordirig
to the prefent reading. /If the leaders were bound,
TiUa, how could they flee away? for their being
bound, according to the obvious conftrudlion and
courfe of the fentence, is a circumftance prior to
their flight. I therefore follow Houbigant>, who
reads TiDn, remoti funt, they are gone off. l^J,
tranfmigraverunt, Chald. which feems to confirm
his emendation.
6. — the Syrian — '] It is not eafy to fay what
Cna 3D"1, a chariot of men, can mean. It feems, by
tae form of the fentence, which confifts of three
members, the firft and the third mentioning a par
ticular people, that the fecond fhould do fo like-
M 4 wife ;

l68 NOTES ON ICHAP. xxii."
wife ; thus DitynSI OnH 1312, " with chariots the
Syrian, and with horfemen :" the fimilitude ofthe
letters "J and T is fo great, and the miftakes arifing
from it fo frequent, that I readily adopt the cor
redlion of Houbigant, D^K inftead of Dlii, which
feems to me extremely probable. The conjundlion
1 prefixed to D^tytS feems neceffary, in whatever way
the fentence is taken ; and it is confirmed by five.
MSS, (one Antient,) and three Editions. Kir was a
city belonging to the Medes. The " Medes were
fubjedl to the Affyrians in Hezekiah's time : fee 2,
Kings XVI. 9. and xvn. 6. and fo perhaps might
Elam (the Perfians) likevvfife be ; or auxiliaries to
them. 8. — the arfenal — 1 'Built by Solomon within .the
city, and called the Houfe of the foreft of Lebanon ;
probably from the great quantity of cedar frOm Le
banon whifch was employed in the J^uilduig : fee i
Kings vn. 2, 3.
9. And ye fhall colledl the waters — ] There were
two pools in or near Jerufalem, fupplied by fprings :
the upper pool, or the old pool, fupplied by the
fpring' called Gihon, 2 Chron. xxxn. 30. towards
ihe higher part of the city, nearSionor the city of
David; and rhe lower pool, probably fupplied by
Siloam, towards- the lower part. "When Hezekiah
was .threatened with a fiege by Senacherib, he ftpp-
'ped up all the waters ^of the fountains without the
city, -and, brought them into the city by a conduit,
or fubterraneous paflage cut through the rock ; thofe
of the old pool, to the place where he made a dou
ble wall,, fo that the pool was between the two walls.
This he did in order- to diftrefs tfie enemy, arid, to
fupply^ the city during the fiege. This, was fo great
a work, that not qnly the hiftorians have made par
ticular mention of it, 2 Kings xx. 20. 2 Chron.
xxxn; a, 3^ ^, 30. but the fon of Sirach alfo has
, celcT

CHAP. XXII, ISAIAH. I69
celebrated it in his encomium on Hezekiah : " He
zekiah fortified his city, and brought in water into
the midft thereof : he digged the hard rock with
iron, and made wells for water." Ecclus XLvijti. 17.
II. — to him that hath difpofed this] That is,
to God, the author and difpofer of this vifitation-,
the invafion with which he now threatens you. The
very fame expreffions are applied to God, and upon
the fame occafion, chap, xxxvn. 26.
" Hafl thou not heard, of old, that I have difpofed it ;
" And, of aritient times, that I have formed it?"
14. the voice of jehovah — ] The Vulg. has
vox Domini ; as if in his copy he had read niH'' b)p :
and, in truth, without the word b)p it is not eafy to
make out the fenfe of the paffage ; as it appears from
the ftrange verfions, which the refl of the Antients,
(except Chald.) and many of the Moderns, have
given of it ; as if the matter were revealed in, or to,
the ears of jehovah, sv rotg uicri Kv^m, lxx. Vi- '
tringa tranflates it, " revelatus eft in auribus meis
jehovah-;" and refess to i Sam. 11. 27. in. 21.
but the conftrudlion in thofe places is different, and
there is no fpeech of God added ;' which here feems
to want fomething more than the verb n^J|3 to intro
duce it. Compare chap, v, 9. v/here the Text is ftill <
more imperfedl.
i5» Go unto Shebna — 1 The following prophecy
concerning Shebna feems to have very little relation
to the foregoing ; except -that it riiight have been
.delivered about the fame time, and Shebna might be
a principal perfon among thofe, whofe luxury, and
profanenefs is feverely reprehended by the Prophet
in the conclufion of that prophecy, ver. 11 — 14.
Shebna the fcribe, mentioned in the Hiftory of
Hezekiah, chap, xxxvi. feems to have been a dif-'
ferent perfon from tiiis Shebna, the treafurer, or
fteward

I'jo ' NOTES 0N chap, xxrr;
fteward of the houfehold, to whom the jprophecy re
lates. The Eliakim here mentioned was probably
the perfon, who, at tiie time of Senacherib's inva
fion, was adlually treafurer, the fon of Hilkiah. If
fo, this prophecy was delivered, as the preceding,
which makes the former part of the chapter, plainly
was, fome time before tJie invafion of Senacherib,
As to tiie reft, hiftoryaffords us no information.
Ibid. — and fay unto him] Here are two words
loft out ofthe text; which are fupplied by two mss,
(one Antient,) which read vba rD'oai ; by lxx, xai
EiTTov ciVT-j) : and in the fame manner by all the an
tient Verfions. It is to be obferved, that this paf
fage is merely hiftorical, and does not admit of that.
fort of ellipfis, by which in the poetical parts a per
fon is frequently introduced fpeaking, witliout the
ufual notice, that what follows v,'as delivered by
him. l6. thy fepulchre on high — in tlie rock] It has
been obferved before on cli. x'lv. that perfons of
high rank in Judea,' and in moft parts of the Eaft,
were generally buried in large fepulchral vaults hewn
out in the rock for the ufe of themfelves and their
families. The vanity of Shebna is fet forth by his
being fo ftudious and careful to have his fepulchre
on high ; in a loft}'- vault, and that probably in a
high fituation, that it might be more confpicuous.
Hezekiah was buried T\bV12b, c-v avaSaast, lxx ; in .
tiie chiefeft, fays our tranflation ; rather, in the
higheft part of the fepulchres of the fons of David,
to do him the more honour. ' 2 Chron. xxxn. 33.
There are fonie monuments ftill remaining in Perfia
of great antiquity, called N-akfi Ruftam, which give
one a clear idea of Shebna's pompous defign for his
fepulchre. They confift of feveral fepulchres, each
of them hewn in a high rock near the top ; the front
of the rock to the valley below is adorned -vvith
carved

CHAP. XXII. ISAIAH. 17^
carved work in relievo, being the outfide of the fe-
pulchrfe. Some of thefe fepulchres are about thirty
feet in the perpendicular from the valley ; which is
itfelf raifed perhaps above half as much by the accu
mulation of the earth fince they were made. See
the defcription of them in Chardin, Pietro della
Valle, Thevenot, and Kempfer. Diodorus Siculus,
lib. XVII. mentions thefe antient monuments, and
calls them the fepulchres of the kings of Perfia.
17. — cover thee] Tliat is, thy face. This was
fne condition of mo'i-riiers in general,! and particu
larly of condemned perfons : fee Efther vi. 12.
Vli. 8.
19. I will drive thee — ] IDlHi*, in the firft per
fon, Syr. Vulg.
CLI. — to the inhabitants — ^] ^2w!?, in the plu
ral number, four mss, (two Antient,) lxx, Syr.
Vulg. 22. —the key upon his fhoulder,] As the robe
and the baldric, mentioned in the preceding verfe,
were the enfigns of power and authority, fo likewife
was the key the mark of office, either facred or civil.
The prieftefs of Juno is faid to be the keyrbearer of
the goddefs, -AKs^ayog Hpag. ..^ifchyl. Suppl. 299,
A female high in office under a great queen has the
fame title :
KofAA/5o)j KKst'^Hxog OXvjjLTriaSog 3aa-i7\eii^g.
Audlor Phoronidis ap. Clem. Alex. p. 418. Edit.
Potter. This mark of Office was likewife among the
Greeks, as here in Ifaiah, born on the fhoulder : the
prieftefs of Ceres Karuifjia^iav s^s vJKa'i^a. Callim-
Ceres, ver. 45. To comprehend how the key could
be born on the fhoulder, it will be neceffary to fay
fomewhat of the form of it : but without entering
intp a long difquifition, and a great deal'of obfcure
learning, concerning the locks and keys of the an-
, tients.

172 >roTES ON "CHAP. xxir.
tients, it will be fufficient to obferve, that one fort
of keys, and that probably the moft antient, was of
confiderable magnitude, and as to the fhape very
much bent and crooked. , Aratus, to give his reader
an idea of the form of the confteUation Caffiopeia,
compares it to a Key. It muft be' owned, that the
paffage is very obfcure ; but the learned Huetius has
beftowed a great deal of pains in explaining it, Ani
madverf. in Manifii, lib. i, 355. and I think has
fucceeded verf well in it. Homer Odyff. xxi. 6.
defcribes the'key of Ulyffes's ftore-houfe, as /iUKaju,-
•%ri\, of a large curvature ; which Euftathius explains
by faying it was Ipsn-Kvon^rig, in fhape like a reap-
hopk. Huetius fays, the conftellation Caffiopeia
anfwers to this defcription ; the ftar,s- to the North
making the curve part, that is, the principal part of
the key ; the fouthern ftars, the handle. The curve
part was introduced into the key- hole; and, being
'properly diredled by the handle, took hold' of the
bolts within, and moved them from their places.
We may eafily colledl from this account, that fuch
a key would lie very well upon the flioulder ; that
it muft be of fome confiderable fize and weight, and
could hardly be commodioufly carried otherwife,
"Dlyffes's key was of brafs, and the handle of ivory :
but this was a royal key ; the mpre common ones
were probably of wood. In Egypt they have no
other than wooden locks and keys to this day ; even -
the gates of Cairo have no better. Baumgarten, Pe
regr. I. 18. Thevenot, P. 11. ch.- 10.
In allufion to the image of the enfign of power,
the unlimited extent of that power is expreffed, with
great clearnefs as well as force, by the fole and ex
clufive authority to open and fhut. Our Saviour
therefore has upon a fimilar occafion made ufe of a
like manner of expreffion j Matth. xvi. 19. and in
Rev,

CHAP. XXII. ISAIAH. , Ij;^
Rev. in. 7. has applied to himfelf the very words of
the Prophet.
23. — a « nail — ^] In antient times, and in the
Eaftern countries, as the way of life, fo the houfes
Were much more fimple than ours at prefent." They
had not that quantity and variety of furniture, nor
thofe accommodations of all forts, with which we
abound. It was convenient and even neceflary for
them, and it made an effential part in the building
of a houfe, to furnifh the infide of the feveral apart
ments with fets of fpikes, nails, or large pegs, upon
which to difpofe of, and hang up, the feveral move
ables and utenfils in common ufe and proper to the
apartment. Thefe fpikes they worked into the walls
at the firft eredlion of them ; the walls being of fuch
materials, that they could not bear their being driven
in afterwards; and they were contrived fo as to-
ftrengthen the walls by binding the parts together, as
well as to ferve for convenience. Sir John Chardin's
accoiint of this^matter is this : " They do not drive
with a hammer tlie nails that are put into the Eaftern
walls : the walls are too hard, being of brick ; or if
-they are of clay, too mouldering : but they fix them
in the brick-work as they are building. They are
large nails, with fquare heads like dice, well made ;
the ends being bent foas to make them cramp-irons.
They commonly place them at the windows and
doors., in order to hang upon them, when they like,
veils and curtains." Harmer, Obfervations i. p.
191. And we may add, that they wereput in other
places too, in order to hang up other things of va
rious kinds ; as it appears from this place of Ifaiah,,
and from Ezekiel xv. 3. whp fpeaks Of a. pin, or
nail, " to hang any veflel thereon." The word ufed
here for a nail of this fort is the fame by which they
exprefs that inftrument, the ftake^ or large pin of
ii'on, with which they faftened down to the ground
the cords of their tents. We fee, therefore, that
thefe

174 NOTES ON CHAP. xxir.
thefe Nails Were of neceffary and comm-on ufe, artd
of no fmall importance, in all their apartments ; con
fpicuous, and much expofed to obfervation : and if
they feem to us mean and infignificant, it is becaufe
we are not acquainted with the thing itfelf; 'and
have no name to exprefs it by, but what conveys
to us a low and contemptible idea. ", Grace hath
been fhewed from the Lord our God, (faith ^zra
IX. 8.) to leave us a remnant to efcape, and to give
us a nail in his holy place :" that is, as the margin
df our Bible explains it, " a conftant and fur?
*** abode."
" He that doth lodge near her [Wifdom's] houfe,
•' ,Shali alfo fallen a pin in her wails." f
Ecclus. XIV., 24.
The dignity and propriety of the metaphor appears
from the prophet Zechariah's ufe of it : ' ,
" From him fhall be the corner-ftone ; from him th?
" nail, '
*' From him the batt'c bo-,v,
'' From hull every ruler together." X. 4
And Mohammed, ufing the fame word, calls Pha
raoh the lord or mafi-er of the Nails, that is, well
attended by nobles and officers capable- of adminif
tering his affairs; Koran, Sur. xxxvin. 11. and
LXXXIX. 9. So fome underftand this paffage ofthe
Koran : Mr. Sale feems to prefer another interpreta
tion. Taylor, in his Concordance, thinks "My means the
pillar or poft that ftands in the middle, and fupports
the tent, in which fuch pegs are fixed to hang their
arms, &c. upon ; referring to Shaw's Travels, p.
287. But itT is never ufed, as far as appears to me,
in that fenfe. It was indeed neceffaiy, that the pU-
lar of thq tent fhould have fuch pegs on it for that
purpofe :

CriAP. XXII. 1 S AI AH-

175

purpofe : but the hanging of fuch things in, this
manner upon this pillar does not prove, that in*
was the pillar itfelf.
23. — a glorious feat — ] That is, his father's
houfe, and aU his own family, fhall be glorioufly
feated, fhall flourifh in honour and profperity; and
-fhall depend upon him, and be fupported by him.
24. — all the glory — ^] One confiderable part of
the m'agnificence of the Eaftern princes confifted
in the great quantity of gold and filver veflels,
which they had, for various ufes. " Solomon's
•drinking veffels were of gold, and all the veffels of
the forefl of Lebanon were of pure gold : none were
of filver ; it was nothing accounted of in Solomon^s
days." I Kings x. 21. "The veffels in the Houfeof
the foreft of Lebanon (the armory of Jerufalem fo
called) were two hundred targets, and three hun
dred fhields, of beaten gold." ibid. ver. 16, 17.
Thefe were ranged in order upon the walls of the ar
mory, (fee Cant. iv. 4.) upon pins worked into the
walls on purpofe, as above mentioned. Eliakim is
confidered as a principal ftake of this fort, immove
ably faftened in the wall, for the fupport of all vef
fels deftined for common or facred ufes : that is, as
the principal fupport of the whole civil and ecv^^lefi-
ftical polity. And the confequence ofhis continued
power wili be the promotion and -flourifliing con-
' dition of his family and dependents, from the higheft
to the loweft.
Ibid. — meaner veffels] iyb2^ feems to mean,
earthen veffels of common ufe, brittle, and of little
value; (fee Lam. iv. 2. Jer. xlviii. 12.) in oppo
fition to rmaa, goblets of gold and filver ufed in
the facrifices. n Exod. xxiv. 6.
25. The nail faftened — J This mxuft be under
ftood of Shebna, as a repetition and confirmation of
the fentence above denouijced againft him.
, CHAP.

176 NOTES ON CHAP. XXiri,

CHAP. XXIII.

I. Howl, O ye fhips of Tarfhifh — ] This pro
phecy denounceth the deftrudlion of Tyre by Nebu
chadnezzar. It opens with an addrefs to the Ty
rian negotiators and failors at Tarfhifh, (Tarteffiis
in Spain,) a place which, iri the courfe of their
trade, they greatly frequented. The news qf ;the
deftrudlioA of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar is faid to
be brought to them from Chittim, the iflands and
coafts of the Mediterranean : ' ' for the Tyrians,
*' (fays Jerom on ver. 6.) when they faw they had
" no other means of efcaping, fled in their fhips,
*' and took refuge in Carthage, and in the iflands of
*' the Ionian and Egean Sea." From whence -the
news would fpread and reach Tarfhifh : fo alfo Jar
chi on the place. This feem.s to be the moft proba
ble interpretation of this verfe.
2. Be filent] Silence is a mark of grief and con
fternation. See ch. xlvh. 5. Jeremiah has finely
expreffed this image :
" The elders of the daughter of Sion fit on .tlie ground,
' ' they are filent :
"They have caft up dud on their heads, they have
" girded themfelves writh fackcloth.
" The Virgins of jerufalem hang down their heads to
" the ground." Lament, ii. 10.
3. And the feed ofthe Nile—] The Nile is called
here Shichor, as it is Jer. n. 18. and i Chron. xni.
5. It had this name- from the blacknefs of its wa
ters charged with the mud, which it brings down
from Ethiopia, when it overflows, *' Et viriderix.
iEgyptum rfigra foecundat arena :" as it was caUed,
by

CHAP. XXIIT. 1 S A.I A H. ifij
by the Greeks Melas, and by the Latins Melo, fob
the fame reafon. See Servius on the above line of
"Virgil, Georg. iv. 29 1^ It was called Siris by the
Ethiopians ; by fOme fuppofed to be the fame with
Sichor. Egypt, by its extraordinary fertility, caufed
by the overflowing of the Nile, fupplied the neigh-s
bouring nations with corn ; by which bfanch of trade
the Tyrians gained gfeat wealth.
4. ' Be afhamed, O Sidon — ] Tyre is called, vef,
12. the Daughter of Sidori. "The SIdonians, (fays
Juftin^ xvm. 3.) When theif city was taken by thei
king of Afcalon, betook themfelves to their fhips^
and landed, arid built Tyre." Sidon, as the mother'
city, is fuppofed to be deeply affedled with the ca-,
lamity of her daughter.
Ibid, -^nor educated — ] ^/iDQIII, fo an Antierit
MS. prefixing the 1,' which refers, to the ^ Negative
preceding, and is equivalent to kVi. See Deut!i
xxxin. 6. Prov. xxx. 3.
7. — -whofe antiquity is of the earliefl date.] Juf
tin, in the paffag'e above quoted, had dated the
building of Tyre at a Certain number of years frpm
the taking of Troy ; but the number is loft iri the
prefent copies. Tyre, though not fo old as, Sidort,
yet was of yery high antiquity : it was a ftrong city
even in the time of Jofhua : it is called lij -|:i30 n^
" the city of the fortrefs of Sor," Jofh. xix. 29.
Interpreters raife difficulties in regard to this paffage,
and will not allow it to have been fo antient : with v/hat
good reafon, I do not fee ; fOr it is called by the
fame name, " the fortrefs of Sor" in the hiftory of
David, 2 Sam. xxiv. 7. and the circumftances of,
the hiftory deter'mine the place to be the very fame.
lO.-'-O daughter of Tarfhifli — '\ Tyre is caUed
the daughter of Tarfhifh; perhaps becaufe 1 Tyre
being ruined, Tarfhifh was become the fuperior
city, and might be confidered as the metropolis- of
VOL.- n.- N - ¦• ^ii^

IT? NOTES ON CHAP. XXIII.
the Tyrian people : or rather becaufe of the clofe
connexion and perpetual intercourfe between them,
according to that latitude of fignification in which
the Hebrews ufe the words Son and Daughter, to
exprefs any fort of conjundlion and dependence
iwhatever. rUD, a girdle, which colledls, binds, and
keeps together the loofe raiment, when applied tp a
river, may mean a mound, mole, or artificial dam,
which contairis the waters, aind prevents them from
fpreading abroad. A city, taken by fiege, and de
ftroyed, whofe walls are demolifhed, whofe policy
is diflblved, whofe wealth is diffipated, whofe peo
ple is fcattered over the wide country, is compared
to a river, whofe banks are broken down, and its
waters, let loofe and overflowing all the neighbour
ing plains', are wafted and loft. This may poffibly
be the meaning of this very obfcure verfe ; of which
I can find no other interpretation that is at all fatis
fadlory. 13. Behold the land of the Chaldeans — '] This
verfe is extremely obfcure : the obfcurity arifes frora
the ambiguity of the agents, which belong to the
verbs, and of the objedls expreffed by the pronouns ;
from the change of number in the verbs, and of
gender in the pronouns. The mss give us no af
fiftance ; and the Antient Verfions very little. The
Chaldee and Vulg. read niaty in the plural number.
I have followed the interpretation, which among
many different ones feemed to me moft probable,
that of Perizonius and Vitringa.
The Chaldeans, Chafdim, are -fuppofed to have
had their origin, and to have taken their name, from
Chefed the fon of Nachor, the brother of Abraham.
I'hey were known by that name in the time of Mo
fes ; who calls Ur in Mefopotamia, from whence
Abraham came, to diftinguifh it from other places
of the fame name, Ur of the Chaldeans. And Je
remiah

CHAP. XXIII. ISAIAH." 179
remiah calls them an antient nation. This is not
inconfiftent with what Ifaiah here fays of them:
" This people was not;" that is, -they were of no
account; (fee Deut. xxxn. 21.) they were- not
reckoned among the great and potent nations of the
world, till of later times . they Were a rude, unci
vilized, barbarous people, without laws, without
fettled habitations ; wandering in a v/ide defert
country, D''^l£, and addidled to rapine, like the wfld
Arabians. Such they are reprefented to have been
in the time of Job, (i, 17.) and fuch they contintied
to.be tiU Affur, fome powerful king of Affyria, ga
thered them together, and fettled them in Babylon,
and the neighbouring country. This probably was
Ninus, whom I fuppofe to have lived in the time of
the Judges. In this, with many eminent Chrono
logers, I follow the authority of Herodotus ; who
fays, that the Aflyrian monarchy lafted but five
hundred and twenty years. Ninus got poffeffion of
Babylon from the Cuthean Arabians, the fucceffors
of Nimrod in that empire, colledled the Chaldeans,
and fettled a colony of them there, to fecure the
poffeffion of the city, which he and his fucceffors-
greatly enlarged and ornamented. They ha^ per
haps been ufeful to him in his wars, and might be
likely to be further ufeful in keeping under the old
inhabitants of that city, and of the country belong
ing to it : according to the policy of the Affyrian
kings, who generally brought new people into the
conquered countries. See Ifai. xxxvi. 17. 2 Kings
xvn. 6. 24. The teftimony of Dicsearchus, a Greek
hiftorian contemporary with Alexander, (apud Steph.
de urbibus, in v. Xoch^txio;,) in regard to the fadl is
remarkable, though he is miftaken in the name of
the king he fpeaks pf: he fays, "That a certain
king of Affyria, the fourteenth in fucceffion from
Ninus," (as .he might be, if Ninus is placed, as in
N a the-

l8o notes ON CHAP* XXllf,
the common chronology, eight hundred years higher
than we have above fet him,) " named as it is faid
Chaldaeus, having gathered together and united all
the people caUed Chaldeans, built the famous city
Babylon, qpon the Euphrates."
14. Howl, O ye fhips — ] The prophet Ezekiel
hath, enlarged upon this part of the fame fubjedl with
great force and elegance :,
" Thus faith the Lord jehovah concerning Tyre ;
«' At the found of thy fail, at the cry of the wounded,
*' At the great fkughter in the midft of thee, fhall not
" the iflaiids tremble f
" And ihall not all the princes of the fea defcend from
" their thrones,
" And lay afide their robes, and ftrip off their embroi-
'• dered garments ?
," They fhall clothe themfelves vyith tre.^bling, they
" fhall fit on the ground ;
^-' They'fhall tremble every moment, they fhall be afto-
" nilhed at thee.
'-' And they fliall utter a lamentation over thee, and fhall
" fay unto thee :
?' T-fovv art tho<u loft, thou diat waft inliabited from the
" fea !
•' The renowned city, that was ftrong in the fea, fhe
" and her inhabitants !
" That ftruck with terror all her neighbours !
" Now fhall the coali's tremble in the day of thy fall,
" And the ifles that are in the fea fhall be troubled at
" thy departure." Ezek-xxvi. 15 — 18.
15. According to the days of one king — ] That
is, of one kingdom. See Dan. vn. 17. vni. 20.
Nebuchadnezzar began his conquefts in the firft
year of his reign ; froiri thence to the taking of Ba
bylon by Cyrus are feventy years ; at which time the
nations conquered by Nebuchadnezzar were to be
reftored to liberty. Thefe feventy years limit the
duration of the Babylonifh monarchy. Tyre was-
taken by him to\yards the middle of that period, but
only

CHAP. XXIII. ISAIAH. IBI
only for the remaining part of it. This feems to be
the meaning of Ifaiah : the days allotted to the one
king, or kingdom, are fev6nty years; Tyre, with
the reft of the conquered nations, fhall continue in
a ftate of fubjedliori and defolation to the end of that
period. Not from the beginning and through the
whole of the period ; for, by being one of the lateft
conquefts, the duration of that ftate of fubjedlion in
regard to her was not much more than half of it.
" AU thefe nations," faith Jeremiah, (xxv. ii;)
'* fliall ferve the king of Babylon feventy years."
Some of them were conquered fooner, fome latter ;
but the end of this period was the common term for
the deliverance of them all.
There is another way of computing the feventy
years, from the year in which Tyre was adlually
' taken to the nineteenth of Darius Hyftafpis ; whom
the Phenicians, or Tyrians, affifted againft the lo
nians, and probably on that account might then be
reftored to their former liberties and' privileges. But
I think the former the more probable interpretation.^
Ibid. — fing as the harlot fingeth — ] " Fidici--
narii effe meretricum eft," fays Donatus in Terent..
Eunuch. III. 2. 4. /
*' Nec meretrix tibicina, cujus
" Ad flrepitura falias." Hor.' i. Epift. xiv. 25.
Sir John Chardin, in his ms Note on this place,
fays : " C'eft que les vielles proftituees: — ne font
*' que chanter quand les jeunes dancent, & les ani-
" mer par finftrument & par la voix." ..f
17, 18. And at the end of feventy years—] Tyre,
after its deftrudlion by Nebuchadnezzar, recovered,-
as it is here foretold, its ancient trade, wealthj and
grandeur ; as it did likewife after a fecond deftruc--
tion by Alexander. It became Chriftian early with
the reft of the neighbouring countries. St. Paul
himfelf found many Chriftians there, Adls xxi. 4.
N 3 If

jSz. notes on eHAP. xxm.
It fuffered much in the Dioclefian perfecution. It
was an archbiflioprick under the patriarchate of Je
rufalem, witfi fourteen bifhopricks under its jurif-
didlion. It continued Chriflian till it was taken by
the Saracens in 639 : was recovered by the Chriftians
in 1124. 'But in 1280 was conqucTed by the Ma-
. malucs : and afterwards taken!* from them by the
Turks in 15 16. Since that time it has funk into
ntter decay; is now a-niere ruin ; a bare rock ; " a
" place to fpread nets upon," as the Prophet Eze
kiel foretold it fhould be, ch. Xxvi. 14. See San
dys's Travels ; Vitringa on the place ; Bifhop New
ton on the Prophecies, Differt. xi.

C II A P. XXIV.

From the Xiiith chapter to the xxind inclufive,
the fate of feveral cities and nations is denounced :
of Babylon, of the Philiftines, , Moab, Damafcus,
Egypt, Tyre. After having foretold the deftrudlion
of the foreign nations, enemies of Judah, the Pro
phet declares the judgements impending on the peo- ,
pie of God. themfelves, for their wickednefs and
apoftacy; and the defolation that fhall be brought
on their whole country.
The XX I vth, and the three following chapters,
feem to have been delivered about the" fame time :
before the deftrudlion of Moab by Shalmanefer;
(fee xxv. 10.) confequently before the deftrudlion
of Saniaria; probably in the beginning of Hezekiah's
reign. But concerning the particular fubjedl of the .
xxivth chapter, interpreteis are not at all agreed r
fome refer it to the delolation caufed by the invafion
of Shalmanefer; others tO the invafion of Nebu
chadnezzar ;

CHAP. XXIY. ISAIAH. jSj
chadnezzar; and others to the deftrudlion of the
city and nation by the Romans. Vi^inga is Angu
lar in his opinion, who applies it to the perfecution
of Antiochus Epiphanes. Perhaps it may have a
view to all of the three great defolations of the coun
try, by Shalmanefer, by Nebuchadnezzar, and by
the Romans : efpecially the laft, to which fome parts
of it may feem more peculiarly applicable. How
ever, the Prophet chiefly employs general images ;
fuch as fet forth the greatnefs and univerfality of the
ruin and defolation, that is to be brought upon the
country by thefe great revolutions, involving all or
ders and degrees of men, changing intirely the face
¦of things, and deftroying the wliole polity both re
ligious and civil ; without entering into minute cir
cumftances, or neceffarily reftraining it by particular
marks to one great event, exclufive of others of the
fame kind.
4. Trie world languifheth] The world is the
fame with the knd ; that is, the kingdoms of Judah
and Ifrael ; orbis Ifraeliticus. See Note on chap.
XIII. II.
5. — the law] min, fingular: fo read Lxx,
Syr. Chald.
6. — ate deftroyed] For Tin, read liin ; fee
LXX, Syr. Chald. Sym.
9. — ^palm-wine — ] This is the proper meafling
of the word ")Diy, a-txipa: fee Note on chap. v. 11.
All enjoyment fliall ceafe; the fweeteft wine fhall
becpme bitter to their tafte.
II. — is paffed away] For miy, read miV ;
tranfpofing a letter. Houbigant, secker. Five
MSS, (two Antient,) add ^3 after VW: lxx add
the fame word before it.
14. But thefe — ] That IS, they that efcaped out
of thefe calamities- The great diftreffes brought
upon Ifrael and Judah drove the people away, and
N 4 - dif-

Jt84 N.0TE5 ON CHAP. XXIV,
difperfed them all'over the neighbouring Gountries :
they fled to Egypt, to Afia-Minor, to- the^ iflands
and the coafts of Greece." 'They were to be found
m great numbers in m^^ of the principal cities of
fhefe coimtries. Alexandria was in a great ineafure
peopled by them. They had fynagogues for their
worfhip in. many places; and were greatly inftru-
mental in propagating the. knowlege of the true God
among thefe heatiieri nations, and preparing them
for the. reception of cliriftianity. This is what' the
Prophet feeriis to mean by the celebration of the
name of jehovah in the waters, in the diftant
coafts, and in the uttermoft parts of the land.
t2J0, the waters; v^uo^, lxx ; v^wra, Theod. not
JS'tt, from the fea.
15. In the diflant coafts ofthe fea] For p'lni*^,
I fuppofe we ought to read CD^'H^ ; which is, in a
great degree juftified by the repetition ofthe word in
Ihe next m^i^b^i" of the feritence, with, the addition
of D*n to vary the phrafe, exadlly in the manner of
"the Prophet. tD'^X is a word chiefly applied to any
diftant. countries, efpecially thofe lyings ori the Me-,
'diterrarieah Sea.' 'Others cOrijedlure Q'"1N:>2, D*'in3,
a'm2, o'D5^,i. D;iin5.; anm, a -^ax illuftrati,
Le Clerc. 'Twenty-three mss read D''TiJ^;2. "The
LXX dp not acknowlege the reading of the Text,
expreffing here only the word D'o.H, sv rcftg wirolg, and '
that not repeated. But mss Pachom. and i D. ri.
fupply in thi's place the defedl in the other copies of
I,XX, thus : A/« TSTO ^^6^o( Kvpia cgai iv ratg vrjcrqigryig
'^aXatravig. sv raig vyja-o-g ro 0V3jj.a. ry K,VpiH Bss .la-^txrjX iV-
^(i^oii sqai. According to ' which the. lxx had in
their HebreV copy ffJXl', repeated afterward, not
, J 6. But I faid — J The Prop.het fpeaks in tiie
perfon of the inhabitants of the land ftill remaining there;

CHAP. XXIV.. ISAIAH. iS^
there ; who fhould be purfued by divine vengeance j
and fuffer repeated diftreffes from' the in^-oads and
depredations of their powerful enemies. Agreeably
to what he faid before in a general denunciation of
thefe calamities :
" Though there be a tetith part remaining in it;
'* Even this fhall undergo a repeated deftruftion."
Chap. VI. 13, See the Note there.
Ibid, the plunderers plunder] Sec Note on chap.
XXI. 2.
17, 18. Tphe terror, the pit, — ] If they efcape
one calamity, another fhall overtake them ;
" As ifa mail fhould flee from a lion, and a bear fhould
" overta'se him :
" Or fhould betake himfelf to hiLS. houfe, and lean his
" hand on the wall,
" And a ferpent Ihould bite him." Amo^ v. 19.
For, as our Saviour expreffed it in a like parabolical
manner, " wherefoever the carcafe is, there fhall
" the eagles be g-athered together." Matth. xxiv.
28. The images are taken from, the different me
thods of hunting and taking wild beafts, which were
antiently in ufe. The terror was, a line ftrung with
feathers of all colours, which fluttering in the air
feared and frightened the beafts into the toils, or
into the pit, which was prepared for them.. " Nec
" eft mirum, cum maximos ferarum greges linea
" pennis diftindla contineat, & in infidias agat, ab
" ipfo effedlu didla Formido." Seneca De Ira, 11.
1-2. The pit, or pit-fall, Fovea; digged deep in
the ground, and covered over with green boughs,
turf, &c. in order to deceive them, that they might
fall into it unawares. The fnare, or toils, Indago ;
a feries ,of nets, inclofing at firft a great fpace of
ground, in v/hich the wild beafts were known to
be;

?;86 NOTES ON CHAP. xxiv.
be ; and then drawn in by degrees into a narrower
compafs, tiU they were at lafl clofely fhut up, and
intangled in them. . . .' '
Fpr b^pD, a MS reads '•DSD, as it is iri Jer. 'Xlv in.
44. and fo the Vulg. and Chald. But perhaps it is
' only, fike the latter, a Hebraifm, and means no
more than the fimple prepofition, D. See Pf en. 6.
For it does not appear, tha,t the terror was intended
to fcare the wild beafts by' its noife. The Payrono-
Hmfia is very remarkable ; pachad, pachath, pack :
and that it was a common proverbial fprm, appears
from Jeremiah's repeating it in the fame words.
Chap. XLVIII. 43, 44.
: 18.  from the pit] For "[^irSQ, from the midft of,
a MS reads p, from, as it is in Jer. xlviii. 44. ,and
io likewife lxx, Syr. Vulg.
19. The land] " ynKH, forte delendum n, ut
ex prascedente ortum. Vid. feqq." secker.
20. — like a lodge for a night.] See Note on
chap. I. 8. 1
21 — 23. — on high, — on earth — ] That is,
the ecclefiaftical and civil polity of the Jews ; which
ihall be deftroyed. The nation fhall continue in a
ftate of depreffion and derelidlion for a long time.
The image feems to be taken from the pradlice of
the great monarchs of that time ; who, when they
had thrown their wretched captives into a dungeon,
never gave themfelves the trouble cf inquiring about
them ; but let them lie a long time in that miferable
condition, wholly deftitute of relief, and difregarded;
God fhall at length revifit and reftore his people in
the laft age : and then the kingdom of God fhall be
eftabliflled in fuch perfedlion, as wrhoUy to obfcure
and eclipfe the glory of the temporary, typical, pre
parative kingdom now fubfifting. , ^ .
" The figurative language of the Prophets is taken
firom' the analogy between the world natural, and an
empire

CHAP. XXIV. ISAIAH. l^J
empire or kingdom confidered as a world politic.
Accordingly the whole world natural, confifting of
heaven and earth, fignifies the whole world pqlitic,
confifting of thrones and people, or fo much of it
as is confidered in prophecy : and the things in that
world fignify the analogous things in this. For the
heavens and the things therein fignify thrones and
dignities, and thofe who enjoy them ; and the earth,
-with the things thereon, the inferior people ; and
the loweft parts of the earth, called Hades, or Hell,
the loweft or moft miferable part of them. — Grea.t
earthquakes, and the fhaking of. heaven and earth,
are put for the fhaking of kingdoms, fo as to diftra.dl
and overthrow them ; the creating 3 new heaven and
earth, and the paffing of an old one, or the begin
ning and end of a world, for the rife and ruin of a
body politic fignified thereby. — ^The fun, for the-
whole fpecies and race of kings, in the kingdoms of
the world politic ; the moon, fbr the body of the
common people, Confidered as the king's wife ; the
ftars, for fubordinate princes and great fnen ; or foi-
bifhops and rulers of the people of God, when the
fun is Chrift : — fetting of the fun, moon, and ftars ;
darkening the fun, turning the moon into blood,
and falling of the ftars, for the ceafing of ' a. king
dom." Sir I. Newton, Obfervations on the Pro
phecies, Part I. Chap. n.

CHAP.

1-85 ' NOTESON CHAP. XXV.

C H A P. XXV.

It doth not appear to me, that this chapter hath
ariy clofe and particular conneition with tfie chapter
imm«<li,a.tely preceding, taken feparately, and by
itfelf. The fubjedl of that was the defolation of the
land of Ifrael and Judah, by the juft judgement of
God, for the wickednefs and difobedience of the
people : which, taken by itfelf, feems not with any
propriety to introduce a hymn of thankfgi^ing to
God. fpr his mercies to his people in delivering them
frorii their enemies. But taking the whole courfe of
Prophecies, from the xnith to the xxivth chapter
inclufive, in which the Prophet foretells the deftruc-
tion of feveral cities and nations, enemies to the
Jews, and of the land of Judah itfelf, yet with inti-
inations of a remnarit to be faved, and a reftoration
to be at length effedled by a glorious eftablifhment
of the kingdom of God : with a view to this exten
five fcene of God's providence in all its parts, and
in all its confequences, the' Prophet may well be
fuppofed to break out into this fong of praife ; in
which his. mind feems to be more ppffeffed with the
profpedl of future mercies than with the recolledlion
of the paft.
2. — the city — ~\ Niniveh, Babylon, Ar Moab,
or any other ftrong fortrefs poffefled by the enemies
of the people of God.
For the firft niyD Syr. Vulg. read Tyn; lxx,
and Chald. read, in the plural, D''iy, tranfpofing
the letters. After the fecond Tya a ms adds
b:h. Ibid.

CHAP. xxv. ISAIAH. 189
Ibid. — the proud ones — ] For p^*lT, ftrangers,
MS Bodl. and another read dnt, the proud : fo "like-
wife the LXX ; for thqy render it aa-^m here, and
in verfe 5th, as they do in fome other places: fee
Deut. XVIII. 20. 22. Another ms reads DHS, ad
verfaries ; which alfo makes a good fenfe. But D''"1l
and ant are often confounded by the great fimilitude
of the letters 1 and 1. See Malach. in. 15. „iv. i.
Pf. XIX. 14. apud LXX : and Pf. liv. 5. {where
Chald. reads Q'nt) compared with Pf. lxxxvi. 14.
4. — a winter ftorm.] For "yp, ' read lip : or as
Tiy from "iny, fo Tp from Tip. Capellus.
5- — ^^^ proud — ] The fame miftake here as in
ver. 2 : fee Note there. Here DHS, the proud, is
paraUel to D^ljny, the formidable : as in Pf. liv. 5.
and LXXXVI. 14.
Ibid. As the heat by a thick cloud.] For 2*Tr,
Syr. Chald. Vulg. and two mss, read lirtD; which
is a repetition of the beginning of the foregoing pa
rallel line : and the verfe taken out of the parallel
form, and more fully expreffed, would run thus:
" As a thick cloud interpofing tempers the heat of
the fun on the burnt foil, i"o fhalt thou, by the in
terpofition of thy power, bring low and abate the
tumult of the proud, and the triumph of the formi
dable." 6. — fhall make for all the people a feaft.] A
feaft is a proper and ufual expreffion of joy in con-
fequenge of vidlory, or any other great fuccefs. The
feaft here fpoken of is to be celebrated on Mount
Sion, and all the peoples without diftindlion are to
be invited to it. This can be no other than the ce
lebration of the eftablifhment of Chrift's kingdom,
which is frequently reprefented in the Gofpel under
the image of a feaft ; where many fhall come from
the Eaft and "Weft, and fhall fit down at table witri
Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of
2. heaven."

tgO NOTES ON CHAP. XXV.
heaven.'* Matt. vin. ii. See alfo Luke xiv. i6.
XXII. 29, ^o. This fenfe is fully confirmed" by the
concomitants of this feaft expreffed in the next verfe;
the removing of the veil from the face of the nations,
and the abolition of death : the firft of which is ob
vioufly and clearly explained of the preaching of the
Gofpel ; and the fecond muft mean the bleffing of
immortality procured for us by Chrift, " who hath
abolifhed death, and through death hath deftroyed
him that had the power of death."
Ibid. — of old wines] Heb. lees.; that is, of wines
kept long on the lees. The word ufed to exprefs the
lees in the original fignifies the prefervers ; becaufe
they preferve the ftrength and flavour of the wine. .
*' All recent wines, after the fermentation has ceafed,
ought to be kept on their lees for a certain time ;
which greatly contribute to increafe their ftrength .
and flavour. "Whenever this firft fermentation has
been deficient, they will retain a more rich arid
fweet tafte thari is natural to them in a recent true
vinous ftate ; and unlefs further fermentation is pro
moted by their lying longer on their, own lees, they
will never attain their genuine flrength and flavour,
but run into repeated and ineffedlual fermentations,
and foon degenerate, into a liquor of an acetous kind.
— All wines of a light and auftere kind, by a fer
mentation too, great, or too long continued, certainly
¦degenerate into a weak fort of vinegar ; while the
ftronger not only require, but will fafely bear a
ftronger and often repeated fermentation ; and are
more apt to degenerate from a defedl than excefs of
fermentation into a vapid, ropy, and at length into
a putrefcent ftate." Sir Edward Barry, Obferva
tions on the "Wines ofthe Antients, p. 9, iq.
The-venot obferves particularly of the Schiras wine,
that, after it is refined from this lees, it is apt to
grow four: " II a beaucoup de lie; c'-eft pourquoi '4

CHAP. xxv. ISAIAH. , 19!
il donne puiffamment dans la tefte ; & pour le ren
dre plus traitable on le pafle.par urt chauffe d'hypo-
cras : apres quoi il eft fort clair, & moins fumeux.
lis rriettent ce vin dans des grandes jarres de terre,
qui tiennent dix ou douze jufqu'a quatorze carabas:
mais quand l'on a entame une jarre, il faut la vuider
au plutoft, & mettre le vin qu'on en tire dans des
bouteilles . ou carabas ; car fi fon y manque en k
laiffant quelque tems apres que la jarre eft entamee,
il fe gate & s'aigrit." "Voyages, tom. n. p. 245.
This clearly explains the very elegant comparifon,
br rather allegory, of Jeremiah ; where the reader
will find a remarkable example of the mixture of the
proper with the allegorical, not uncommon in the
Hebrew poets :
" Monb hath been at eafe from his. youth,
" And he hath fettled upon his lees ;
" Nor hath hc been drawn off from veflel to vefTel,
" Neither h.afh he gone into captivity:
"."Wherefore his tafte remaineth ui hira,
" Ai^ -his flavour is not changed." Jer. xlviii. ii.
Sir John Chardin's ms Note on this place of Je
remiah is as follows : " On change ainfi le vin de
cupe en cupe en Orient ; & quand on en entame une,
il faut la vuider en petites cupes ou bouteilles, fans
quoy il s'aigrit."
7. — the face of all — '] ms Bodl. reads, ^3 '<:Qby.
The word '»33 has been removed- from its right place
into the line above, where it makes no fenfe; as
Houbigant conjedlured.
9. — fhall they fay — ] So lxx and Vulg. in the
plural number. They read IIQI^I. Syr. reads mONT.
Thou flialt fay.
10. — fhaU give reft—] " Heb. m3n, quiefcet.
Annon rT'^n quietem dabit, ut Graeci, uvxTtautriv luxra,
& Copt.?" Mr. "Woide. That is, "fliafl give
peace

i^s Notes on chap. xxv<
peate and quiet to Sion, by deftroying the enemy;"
as it follows.
Ibid. As the ftraw is threfhed"^] " Hoc juxta
ritum loquitur Palaeftirtse & multarum Orientis pro-
vinciarum, quae ob pratorum & faeni penuriairi pa
leas preparant efui animantium. Sunt autem car
penta ferrata rotis per medium in ferraruih modum
ie volventibus, quae ftlpulam conterunt ; & commi-
nuunt in paleas. Quomodo igitur plauftrls ferratis
paleae conteruntur, fic conteretur Moab, fub eo; five
fub Dei potentia, five in femetipfo, ut nihil in eo
integri remaneat." Hieron. in loc. See Note on
ch. XXVIII. 27.
Ibid. — under the wheels of the car.] For n^anD,
LXX, Syr. Vulg. read n^SID ; which I have fol
lowed. See Jofliua xv. 31. compared with xix. 5.
where there is a miftake very nearly the fame. The
Keri, 103, is confirmed by twenty-eight mss, (fe
ven Antient,) and three Editions.
II. As he that finketh ftretcheth out his hands to
fwim.] There is great obfcurity in this place : fome
underftand God as the agent ; others Moab. I liave
chofen the latter fenfe, as I cannot conceive that the
ftretching out of the hands of a fwimmer in fwlm
ming can be any illuftration of the adlion of God
ftretching out his hands over Moab to deftroy' it.-
1 take nn-ZTJ, altering the point on the ty on the au
thority of LXX, to be the participle of rfDV, the
fame with mv and nnty, inclinari, deprimi ; and that
the Prophet defigned a Paronomafia here, a figure-
which he frequently ufes, between the fimilar words-
Jintyand riinty. As S^mn, in his place, or on the. fpot,
as we fay, in the preceding yerfe, gives us an idea-
of the fudden and compleat deftrudlion of Moab ; fo'
>i"lp5, in the midft of him, means, that this deftruc-
tion fhall be open, and expofed to the view of aU :•
the neighbouring nations fhafl plainly fee him ftrug--' gling

CHAP. XXV. ISAIAH. 1,93
gling againft it, as a man in the midft, of the deep
waters exerts all ,his efforts, by fwiroming to fave'
himfelf from drowning.

CHAP. XXVI.

1. — we have a ftrong tjity] In oppofition to the
city of the eneiny; which God hath deftroyed, chap.
xxv. 2. fee the Note there. > 1 ' '
3. — they have trufted] So Chald. inoi. Syr.
and Vulg. read I3n!33, we have trufted. Schroeder;
Gram. Hebr. p. 360. explains the pteferit reading,!
mi32, imperfonally, confifum eft.
4. — in jehovah] In Jah jehovah, Heb. but
.fee Houbigant. Not. in Cap. xn. 2.
8. We have placed our confidence in thy name]
LXX, Syr. and Chald. read "i3^p, without the pro
noun annexed.
9. — have I defired .thee] Forty-one Mss, (nine
Antient,) and five Editions, read "^Wll*. It is pro
per to note this : becaufe the fecond » being omitted
in the Text, Vulg., and many others have rendered
it in the third perfbn.
16. — we have fought thee — ] So lxx, and two
MSS, ^13^p3, in the firft perfon. And fo perhaps it
fhould be 13pS, in the firft perfon : but how lxx
read this Vv^ord is not clear ; and this laft member of
the verfe is extremely obfcure.
ForlD^, the lxx read xb, in the firft perfon
likewife : a frequent miftake ; fee Note on chap.
X. 29.
18. ^— we have brought forth wind] The learned
profeflbr Michaelis explains this image in the fol
lowing manner: " Rariorem morbum defcribi, em-
voL. II. o " pricu*

tg4- NO'TES O'ii' • 6hap,- xxti..
•'' empneumatofin, aut ventofam molam, didlum j
" quo quas laborant diu & fibi & peritis medicis gra-
*' vidse videntur, tanderiique poft Omnes Vetae gira-
*' viditatis nioleftias & labores ventum ex utero
" emittunt : quem morbum paflim defcribunt me-"
*' dici." Syntagma Comment, vol. ii. p. 165. The
Syriac tranflator feems to have underftood it in this
manner: " Enixi furiius, ut illsfe, quas vtotos pa-
" riunt." ¦ •;
Ibid. — in the larid] V"1^3, fo a ms, lxx, Syr.
and Vulg.
119^ — my deceafed] All the antient verfions ren
der it in Ihe plural ; they read */n^33, my. dead bo
dies. Syr. and Chald. read Dn'/lllPQJ, their dead
bodies. - '
Ibid. -=^of tihe dawn] ' Lucis, Vulg. fo alfo Syr.
.arid Chald.
The deliverance ofthe people of God frOm a? ftate
Of the loweft depreSSon, is explained by images^
plainly taken from fhe Refurredlion €)f the dead. In
the fame manner the Prophet E:^ekiel reprefents the
reftoration of the Jewifh natron from a ftate of utter
diffolution, by the reftoring of the dry bones to life,.
exhibited to him in a virion,- chap", xXxvn. whichi
is diredlly thus applied and explained, ver. 11 — -13,.
And this deliverance is expreffed with a manifeft op--
pofition to what is here faid. above, ver. 14. of the;
great lords and tySants, under whom they ha<J
¦groaned ;
" They are dead, they fhall not live ;
" They are deceafed tyrants, they fhall not rife;"
. that they fhould be deftroyed utterly, and fhould
never be reftored to their former power and glory.
It appears from hence, that the dodlrine of the Re
furredlion of the dead was at that tim.e a popular ^nd
Common dodlrine : for an image which is affume«£ iu.

cc

fcHAt^XXVI. tSAlAH. 195
in order to expfefs or reprefent any thing i_n the way
of allegory or metaphor, whether poetical or pro-
pheticali muft be an image commonly known and
underftood ; otherwife it will not anfwer the purpofe
for which it is affumed.
20; Come, O my people ; retire — ^ An exhor
tation lo patierice and refignation under oppreffiofi,
with a confiderit expedlation Of deliverance^ by the-
poWer of God manifeftly to be exerted in the de
ftrudlion of the oppreffor. It feeiris to be an allu
fion to the coinmand of Mofes tb the Ifratlites, when
the deftrb;('ing angel was to go through the land bf
Egypt j " not to go out at the door of their houfes
*', until the niorning:" Exod. xn. 22. And before
the paffage of the Red Sea: " Fear ye not, ftand
*' ftill, and fee the falvation of jehovah: — jehO-
" VAH fhaU fight for you, and ye fhall fiold yodt
peace;" Exod. xiv. 13, 14;

CHAP. XXVlf.

The fubjedl of this chapter feems to be the nature,
the meafure, and the dealirigs With his people : ¦v'er.
I . his judgements inflidled ori their great and power
ful enemies : ver. 2. his conftant care and protedlion
of his favourite vineyard, in the form of a diadbgue ;
ver. 7. the moderation and lenity, with which the
feverity of his judgements ha-v-e been tempered :- -vpr.
9. the end and qefigri of .them, to recovef them
¦from idolatry ; arid ver. 12; the recalling of them,
on their repentance, from their feveral difperfions.
The firft varfe feems connedled wtk the two laft
T^fes of the preceding chapter,
02 t. Le»

1q6 NOTES ON CHAP. XXVII.
1. Leviathan, &c.] The animals here mentioned
feem to be : the crocodile, rigid, by the ftiffnefs of
the back-bone, fo that he cannot readily turn him
felf, when he ' purfues his prey; hence the eafieft
way of efcaping from him is by making frequent and
fhort turnings : the ferpent, , or dragon, flexible and
winding; which cqils himfelf up in a circular form:
the iisa-monfter, or the whale. Thefe are tifed alle
gorically, without doubt, for great 'potentates, ene
mies and perfecutors of the people of God : but to
fpe'cify the particular perfons Or ftates defigned by
.the Prophet under thefe images is a matter of grpat
difficulty, arid comes not neceflarily within the dcr
fign of thefe notes.
2. — the beloved vineyard] For iian, a great
-number of mss, and fome printed Editions, have
nan? which is confirmed by lxx, and Chald.
Ibid. — a refponfive fong] That 713^, to anfiaer,
fignifies occafionally to fing refponfively ; and that
this mode of finging was frequently pradlifed among
the antient Jews ; fee De S. Poef. Hebr. Prael. xix.
at the beginning.
3. I will take care of her] For IPS'" p, Syr. reads
^pS^n: and fifteen mss, (fix Antient,) and fix Edi
tions, read npS^*, in the firft perfon.
4. I have no wall] For non, lxx, and Syr.
read nDIPT. An antient MS has noTT. For r\2, two
JMCSS read 03, plural. The vineyard wifhes for a
wall, and a fence of thorns ; human ftrength and
protedlion ; (as the Jews were too apt to apply to
their powerful neighbours for affiftance,, and to truft
to the fhadpw of Egypt:) jehovah replies, that
|:his would iiGt avail her, nor defend her againft his
Avrath : he^Counfels her therefore to betake herfelf to
his protedlion. On which flie intreats him to make
j)eace with her.
2 " Abbuf:

CHAP. XXVII. ISAIAH. I97
** About Tripoly there are abundance of vine-
" yards, and gardens, inclofed for the moft'
** part with hedges ; which chiefly confifl' of the-
** rhamnus,' paliurus, oxyacantha, &c." Rawolf,-
p. 21, 22. A fence bf thorns is efleemed equal to
a wall for ftrength, being commonly reprefented as,
impenetrable. See Micah vn. 4. Hofea 11. 6.
Ibid. — of the thorn and brier] Seven mss,
(two. Antient,) and one Edition, and Syr. Vulg.-
Aquila, read D'K/1, with the conjundlion 1 pre-'
fixed. 5. Ah !] For Ii4, I read 11M, as it was at firftin a '
MS. The* was eafily loft, being foUowed by another*.'
6. — from the root] For vnv, I read with the-'
Syr. VifWQ. And for mS)1 "i^T, mS) 15:'::*, joining
the T to the firft ,word, and taking that into conftruc-
tion with the firft part of the fentence. I fuppofe the
dialogue to be continued in this yerfe, which pur
fues the fame image of the allegory, but in the way
of metaphor. ,
9. And if — ^] ab^, four mss, (two Antient,) and
LXX. ¦ '
Ilk — her boughs] nn*J:p, ms. and Vulg. that
is, the boughs. of the vineyard, referring ftill to the
fubjedl of the dialogue above.
'The fcarcity of fuel, efpecially wood, in moft
parts of the Eaft is fo great, that they fupply it with
everything capable of burning; cow dung dried-,
roots, parings of fruit, withered ftalks of herbs and
flowers: fee Matth. vi. 21 — 30. Vine-twigs are
particularly mentioned, as ufed for fuel" in drefiing
their food, by D'Arvieux; La Roque, Paleftine^
p. 198. Ezekiel fays, in his parable of the vine^
ufed figurati-vely for the, people of God, as the vine
yard is here ; " ShaU wood be ta;keri thereof to do
" any Work ? or will men take, a pin of it to hang
'.' any veffel thereon ? Behold, it is caft into the
03 'f fire

198 NOTES oN CHAP, xxvij:.
" fire for fuel." Chap. xv. 3, 4. "Ifa man abide
" not in me, faith our Lord, he ist caft forth as a
"'branch' [of the vine] and is withered; and meii
*' 'gather them, and daft them into thp fire, and they
*' are burned." Jolin xv. 6. They employed wo
men and children to gather fhefe things.; and they
laid them up in ilorp" for ufe. Tlie 'drefiing and
pruning of their vines afforded a gobd fupply of the
laft fort of fiiel : but the Projphet fays, that the yines
therpfelves of the beloved vineyard"iKall be blafted',
withered, and broken; and the women fhall xome,
and gather them up ; and carry away the whole of
them, to make their fires for dome^liG ufes. ^eg
Harmer, Obferv. r. p. 254, &c, *^ '. ' .' f

-CHAP, xxyiii,

|. The proud crown — ] "Sebafte, the antient
*' Samaria, is fituated on a long mount of an -ov^t
" figure ; having firft a fruitful valley, and then a
*.-' ring of hills running round about it.'-' Maundrell,
p. 58. " E regi one horum ruderum mons eft per-.
"amoenus, planitie admodum fi'ugifera circiimfep-
" tus, fuper quem olim Samaria urbs condita ¦ fuit,''
Fureri Itinerarium, P- 93. The city beautifully fi
tuated on the top of a round hUl," and" furrounded
immediately with a rich valley, and a circle of other.
JiiUs beyondiit, fttggefted the idea of a chaplet, or
ivreith of flowers, 'Worn upon their heads on occa
fions of feftivity ; "expreffed by the proud crown, and
the fading flower of the drunkards. That this cuftom
of wearing chaplets in their banquets prevailed among
jhe Jews, as well as among the Greeks and Romans^
¦ . •• • appear^

CHAP. XXVIU. , IS A 4 A H,- i^g
appears from the following; paffage , of the book of
Wifdom: ' -,'
" Let us fill ourfelves with coftly wirie and ointments,
" And let no flower ofthe fpring pafs by us :
" Let us crown ourfelves wi,tk rofe-buds, before they ar«
"withered." , ' Wifd. ii. 7, 8.
2 —the ' exceedingly ftrong orie]- '*,31ti'? Y'''^^*
fortis Domirio, i. e. fortiffimus, a Hebraifm. For
mx^, thirty-eight mss, and two Editions, read
nin'"?. '
3. — crowns] I read riDW, plural, to agree with
the verb .nittan/l.
4. The early fruit before fummer] " Nq foorter
•doth the boccore [the early fig] draw near to perfec
tion, in the middle or latter, end of June, than the
kermez, or fummer fig, begins to be formed, though
it mrely ripens before Augufl; about which time the
fame. tree frequently throws out a ^hird crop, or the
winter fig, as we may call it. This is ufually of a
mj-ich longer fhape and darker complexion than the^
kermez, hanging and ripening upon the tree everi
after the leaves are fhed : and, provided the wiriter
proves mild and temperate, is gathered as a delicious
fiiorfel in the fpring.", Sha-w, Travels, p. 370. fol.
The image was very obvious to, the inhabitants of
•Judea and the neighbouring countries, and is fre
quently applied'by the Prophets to exprefs a defire
able objeft '; by nOne more elegantly thari by Hofea,
chap. IX. 10, • ,
" Like grapes in the wildernefs, I found Ifrael ;
*' Like tlie firft ripe fig in her prime, I faw your ft^
¦*''thers." . _ ' ,
Ibid, — he pluclceth it] For naf, which with
njt4^^ makes a miferable tautology, read by a tranf
pofition of a letter mX*; a happy conjedlure of
04 ' Hou-

aOO X NOTES ON CHAP. XXVIII.
Houbigant. The image expreffes in the ftrongeft
manner the great eafe with which the Affyrians fh,all
take the rich city and the whole kingdom, and the
avidity with which they ffiall fcize the rich prey
without refiftance.
5. In that day — "] Thus far the prophecy relates
to the Ifraelites, and manifeftly denounces their ap
proaching deftrudlion by Shalmanefer. Here it turns
to the two tribes of Judah and Berijamin, the rem
narit of God's people, who were to continue a king
dom after the final captivity of the Ifraelites. It be
gins with a favourable prognoftication of their affairs
under Hezekiah : but foon changes to reproofs and
threatenings, for their intemperance, difobediej^ce,
and profanenefs.
6. — to the gate of the enemy'] That is, who .pur
fue the fleeing enemy even to the very gates of their
own city: " But we were upon them even unto the
*' entering of the gate:" 2 Sam. xi. 23. that is, we
•drove the enemy back to their own gates : fee alfo i
Sam. xvn. 52.
9. .Whom [fay they] would he teach — ] Thd
fcoffers mentioned below,, ver. 14. are here Intro
duced as uttering their fententious fpeeches; they
treat God's method of dealing with them, and warn
ing them by his Prophets, with contempt and deri-
fion. What, fay they, doth he treat us as mere in
fants juft weanedi-doth he teach us like little chil
dren,, perpetually inculcating the fame elementary
leffons, the mere rudiments of knOwlege ; precept
after precept, line after lin^, here and there, by Jit-
tle and little ? imitating at the fame time, and ridi
culing, in ver. 10. the concife prophetical manner.
God by his Prophet retorts upon them with great
feverity their own contemptuous mockery; turning
it to a fenfe quite different from what they intefided-
Yes, faith hc, it fliaU be in fadl as you fay : ye fhall be

CHAP. XXVIII. ISAIAH. ClOI
be taught by a ftrange tongue, and a ftammering lip ;
in a ftrange country ; ye fhall be carried into captivity
'^y a people whofe language fhall be unintelligible to
you, and which ye fhall be forced to learn like chil
dren: and my. dealing with you fliall be according
to your own words : it fhall be command upon com
mand for your punifhment; it fliall be line upon
line, ftretched over you, to mark your deftrudlion ;'
.(compare a Kings xxi. 13.) it fliall come upon you
at different times, and by different degrees ; till the
judgements, with which from time to time I have
threatened you, fhall have their full accomplifh
ment. Jerom feems to have rightly undeirftoqd the gene
ral defign of this paffage, as expreffing the manner
in which the fcoffers, by their fententious fpeeches,
turned into ridicule the warnings of God by his Pro
phets: though he has not fo well explained the
meaning ofthe repetition of their fpe'ech in the 13th
verfe. His words are on Ver. 9. " Solebant hoc ex
"perfona Prophetarum ludentes dicere:'' and on
ver. 14. " Quod fupra diximus, cum irrifione foli-
'* tos principes Judasorum Prophetis dicere, mandq^
'^'remanda, & caetera his fimilia, per quae ofienditur,
" nequaquam eos Prophetarum credidiffe fermorii-
" bus, fed Prophetiam habuifle defpedlui, praefens
" oftendit capitulum, per quod appellantur viri il-
" lufores." Hieron. in loc.
¦ And fo Jarchi interprets the word Di!?u;d in the
next verfe : " qui dicunt verba irrifionis parabofice."
And the Chaldee paraphrafes the nth verfe to the
fame purpofe, underftanding it as fpoken not .of
God, but of the people deriding his Prophets:
" Quoniam in m^utatione loquelae ,& in lingua fubfan-
" nationis irridebant contra prophetas qui propheu-
?^ bant populo huic." ' , ''^'
li. This

%t^ NOTES ON CHAP. XXVIir^
12. This is the true reft—] The fenfe of this
verfe is : God had warned them by his Prophets,
that their fafety and fecurity, their deliverance fronj.
their prefent calamities, and from the apprehenfions
of ftill greater , approaching, depended whoUy on
their truft in God, their faith and obedience : but
they rejedled this gracious warning with contempt
arid mockery.
i_^. ' — a covenant with death] To be' in covenant
wiA, is a kind bf proverbial expreffion to denote
perfedl fecurity from evil and mifchief of any fort :
" For thou fhalt te in league with the ftones of the
"fjeld;
- *' And the beaft.s of the ^eld fhall bp at peace with thee."
Job v. 23.
*' And I will mgike 3 covenant for them with the beafls
" of the field,
*' And with the fowls of heaven, aijd witlj the creeping
*' things of the ground."' Hpfea 11. »8
That is, none of thefe fhall hurt tfiem. But Lucan, ,
ipeaking of the Pfylli, whqfe peculiar property it
was to be unhurt by the bite of ferpents, 'with which
their country abounded, comes ftill nearer to the
expreffion of Ifaiah in this place :
, " Gens unica terras
" Incolit a fsevo ferpentum innoxia njorfu
*' Marmaridse Pfylli. 
*' Pax illis turn morte data eft." Pharfal. jX. 89^.
" Of all who fcorchii-ig Afric's fun endure,
'* None like the fwarthy Pfyllians are fecure :
•^ 'With healing gifts and privileges grac'd,
- ^^ Well in the land of ferpents were they plac'd :
" Truce with the dreadfuf tyrant death they have,
*' And border fafely on his realm the grave." Rowe.
.18^'— fhaH be broken} For 1S2, which feems
not to ^^long to this place, Chal(J'. reads HQFS; which is

JEHA?. ?tXViI][. JS^lAHf 2QJ
is approved by Houbigant and secker: fee Jer,
xxxin. 21. where the very fame phrafe is ufed.
See Prelim." 15ifl.ert. p. I. .
20. —For the bed is too fbort-~] A maftal, or
proverbial faying, the meaning of which isj that
they will find all means of defence and : protedlion
infufficieijt to fecure them, and cover them from
,the evils Coming upon them, ^pn, chap. XXU, 8,
the covering, i§ ufed for the outworks of defence,
the barrier of tfie country ; and here in the allegori-
jcal fenfe it means much the, fame thing. Their beds
were only matrafles laid on- the floor ; and tjje cover
let a fheet, or in the winter a carpet, laid over it,
in which the perfon wrapt himfelf, For DiDAI^, it
ought probably to be piDnnQ. Houbigant, skcker.
23. Liften ye, andliear my voice: — ~\ The fore
going difcourfe, confifting of fevere reproofs, and
Ihreatenings of dreadful judgements impending on
the Jews for their vices, and their profane contempt'
of God's -warnings by his meffengers, the Pro
phet concludes with an explanation and defence
.of God's method of dealing with his people in an
elegant parable or allegory ; in which he employe a
variety of images, all taken frqm the fcience of agri
culture. As the hufbandman ufes various methods
in preparing his land, and adapting it to the feveral
kinds of feeds to be' fown, with a due obfervation of
times and feafons ; and when he hath gathered in his
harveft, efeiplpys methods as various in feparating
the corn from the ftraw and the chaff by different
inftruments, according to the nature of the different
¦forts of grain : fo God, with unerring wifdom, and
*vith ftridl juftice, inflrudls, admonifhes, and cor
redls his people ; chaftifes and punifhes them in va
rious ways, as the exigence of the cafe requires ;
.now more moderately, now raore feverely ; always
.^Tempering juftice v.'ith mercy ; in order to reclaim
5 ' t^^e

a04 NOTES ON CHAP. XXVIII*
the wicked, to improve the good ; and, finally, to
feparate the one from the bther.
a6. For his God inftrudleth him] All nation*
have agreed in attributing agriculture, the moft ufe
ful and the moft neceffary of all fciences, to the in
vention and to the fuggeiflions of their deities.- " The
mofjl High hath ordained hufbandry," faith the fon
qf Sirach: Ecclus. vn. 15.
*' Nemque Ceres fertur fruges, Liberque liquoris
*' Vitigeni laticem mortalibus inllituilTe." ¦ Lucretius, v. ,14.
'O S' yjTTieg avSpooiroia-t '
As^iot arijpMstvst, Xocovg S' sm spyov cysipsi
M.iiJi.)nj(rxMV (Sioroio' Ksyst §' ors (3ooXog a^igtj
Bovcrt t's Tiai jMiKsMiri' Xsysi S' ors h^ictt copou ¦
K«; (pvra yvpxcroii, x.ai &7rt^p.aTX nnuvTa j2aXscrSoii.
Aratus, Phasnom. 5.
He (Jupiter) to the human race
Indulgent prompts to neceffary toil
Man provident of life ; with kindly figns
The feafons marks, when beft to turn the glebe
"With fpade and plough, to nuife the tender plant,
And caft o'crfoUering earth the feeds abroad.
27, 28. Four methods of threfhing are heremen-
tioned, by different inftruments ; the flail, the drag,
the wain, and the treading of the cattle. . The ftaff.
Or flail, was ufed for the Infirmiora femina^ fays Hie
ron. the grain that was too tender to be treated in
the other methods. The drag confifted of a fort of
ftrong planks, made rough at the bottom with hard
ftones or iron : it was drawn by horfes or oxen over
the corn-fheaves fpread on the floor, the driver fit
ting upon it. K^empfer has given a print rcprefent
ing the manner of ufing this inftrument. Amoen. Exot.

CHAP. XXVIII. IsAlAH. aO^
Exot. p. 682. fig. 3. The wain was much like the
former, but had wheels with iron teeth, or edges
like a faw. " Ferrata carpenta rotis per medium in
ferrarum modum fe volventibus :" Hieron. in loc.
by which it fliould feem, that the axle was armed
with iron teeth, or ferrated wheels, throughout.
See a defcription and print of fuch a machine ufed
at prefent in Egypt for the fame purpofe ; it moves
upon three rollers armed with iron teeth or wheels,
to cut the ftraw : in Niebuhr's Voyage en Arabie,
Tab. xvn. p. 123. In Syria they make ufe of the
(irag, conftrudled in the very'fame manner as above
defcribed ; Niebuhr, Defcription de I'Arabie, p.
140. This not only forced out the grain, but cut
the ftraw in pieces for fodder for the cattle; for
in the Eaftern Countries they have no hay. See
Harmer's Obferv. i. p. 425. The laft fnethod is
well known from the law of Mofes, which " forbids
the ox to be muzzled, when he treadeth out the
corn." Deut. xxv. 4.
28. — but the bread- corn — 1 I read an^l, on
the authority of Vulg. and Symmachus : the former
exprefles the Conjundlion i, omitted in the Text,
by autem: the latter by h.
Ibid. — hoofs — ] For VU;i3, horfemen, read VD")3,
hojs. So Syr. Sym. Theod. Vulg.

CHAP.

&iqS No'tES ON ' tnAv. £xiii'

CHAP. xxix.

The fubjedl of this and the four following chapter^,
is the invafion of Senacherib ; the great diftrefs of
the Jews while it continued ; their fudden and un-
fexpedled deliverance by God's immediate interpofi
tion iu'their favour; the fubfequent profperous ftate
of the kingdom imder Hezekiah : interfperfed with
fex&e reproofs, and threats of punifhment, for their
hypocrify, ftupidity, infidelity, their want .of truft
in God, and their vain reliance on the affiftance ' of
Egypt : and With promifes of better times, botfi. im
mediately to fucceed, and to be expedled irt the fu-
' ture age. The whole making not one continued dif
courfe, ^but rather a coUedlion of different difcourfes
upon the fame fubjedl. ; which is treated with great
elegance artd variety : though the matter is various,
and the tranfitions fudden, yet the Prophet feldom
•gjbts fat from his fubjedl. It is properly enough di
vided by the chapters in the common tranflation.
I. Ariel^-l That Jerufalem is here called by
this name is very certain ; but the reafon of this
name, and the meaning of it as applied to Jerufalem,-
is very obfcure and doubtful. Some, with the Chal
dee, fuppofe it to be taken from the hearth of the
great altar of Burnt-offerings, wliich Ezekiel plainly
calls by the fame name ; and that Jerufalem is here
confidered as the feat of the Fire of God, ba ")1S,
which fhould iffue from thence to confume his ene
mies : compare chap. xxxi. 9. Some, according
to the common derivation of the word, ^k "^la, the
Lion of God, or the ftrong Lion ; fuppofe it to fig
nify the ftrength of the place, by which it was ena bled

CHAP. XXIX. ISAIAH. &07
bled tq refift and overcome aU its enemies. Tivsg &
^ociTt TJjv rs-oXty ovrug siprp-^ou* s%si, hoi <&£ou, XsbvriSi
d/xjjy strrca^rls rovg avTcci^ovrag. ProCop. in loc. Therfe
are other explanatibris of this name givert, but nonfe
that feems to be perfedlly fatisfadlory.
Ibid. Add year to year—] Irortically: g6 Oft
year after year ; keep your folemrt feafts': yet khow,
that God will punifh you for your hypocritical wOf-
ihip, confifting of mete forrri deftitute of trile pieiy-
Probably delivered at the time of fome grtkt feaft,
when they were thus employed.
a. —mourning and forrow — 2 Inftead of youl:
prefent joy and feftivity.
Ibid. — as the hearth of the great altar .j Thai is,
It fhall be the feat of the Fire^of God ;, which fhall
ifliie froiri thence to confume his enemies. See Notfc
on ver. i. Or, perhaps, all on a flame; as it vfa%
when taken by the Chaldeans ; or covered Jftitii car
cafes and blood, as when taken by th^-Jtomahs : a'lt
intimation of which more diftant events, though not
immediate fubjedls of the Prophecy, may perhaps
be given in this obfcttrq paffage.
3. — like David] For ln3 read nllD ; fo lxx,
and two mss, and f. two more.
Ibid. — towers — ] For lymti ~read /IIIJJS; fd
xxx, and five mss, one of them Antient.
4. — a feeble fpeech] That the fouls of the dead
uttered a feeble ftrldulous found, very differerit from
¦the natural human voice, was a popular notion
among the Heathens as w^ell as ' among the Jews.
This appears from feveral paffages of their poets ;
Hon-ier, Virgil, Horace. The'pretenders to the art
of Necromancy, who were chiefly women, had art,
art of fpeaking with a feigned voice ;.fo as to de-s
ceive thofe "who applied to them, by making them
believe, thaf it was the voice of the ghoft. They
bad a way of uttering founds, as if they were formed, ,
not

3p8 NOTES ON CHAP. XXiX..
not by the organs of fpeech, but deep in the cheft,
.or in the belly; and were thence called syFocgpi[ji.vSot,
Ventriloqui : they coiUd make the voice feem to
come from beneath the ground, from a diftant part,
in another diredlion, and not from themfelves ; the
better to impofe upon thofe who confulted them.
E^e7r/t»;S^£; ro ysvog rovro rov xpv^pov v^^pv smrv^svovtaif
Ivoc dta TJjv cca-ocpsiav rY\g (fuvrig rov rov x^/sv^ovg ocrco^^poi-
arxooTiv sKsyxov. Pfellus de Daemonibus, apud Bo
chart. I. p. 731. '^ Thefe people ftudioufly' ac
quire^ and affedl on purpofe, this , fort of- dbfcurS
found ; that by the uncertainty of the voice they
may the better efcape being detedled in the cheat."
From thefe arts of the Necromancers the popular
notion feems to have arifen, that the" ghoft's voice
was a weak, ftrldulous, almoft inarticulate fort of
found, very different from the fpeech of the living. .
5. — the proud — ] For y\l, thy ftrangers, read
ont, the proud, lxx ; parallel and fynonymous to
tD'Jtny, tbe terrible, in the next line : the 1 was at
firft T in a ms'. See Note on xxv. 2.
5 — 7. , But the multitude of the proud — ] Thefe
verfes contain an admirable "defcription of the de
ftrudlion of Senacherib's army, with a beautiful va
riety of the moft expreffive images : perhaps more
adapted to fhew the greatnefs, the fuddennefs, and
horror, of the event, than the means and manner
by which it was effedled. Compare chap. xxx.
7. -^like as a dream — ] This is the beginning
of the comparji"on, which is purfued and applied in
.the next verfe. Senacherib and his mighty army are
not, compared to a dream, becaufe of their fudden
difappearance ; but the difappointment of their e^ger
hopes is compared to what happens to a hungry and
thirfty man, when he awakes from a dream, in
which fancy had prefented to him meat and drink in

CHAP. XXIX. ISAIAH. flOJ
in abundance ; and ;finds it riothi'ng but a vain illu
fion. The comparifon is elegant and beaqtiful in
the higheft degree, well wrought up, and perfedlly
fuited to the end propofed : the image is extremely
natural, but not obvious ; it appeals to our inward,
feelings, not to our outward fenfes ; and is applied
to an event in its concomitant circumftances exadlly
fimilar, but in its nature totally different. See De
S. Poef. Hebr. Praeledl. xn. For beauty and inge
nuity it may fairly come in competition with one of
the moft elegant of Virgil, (greatly improved from
Homer, Iliad, xxn. 199.) where he has applied to
a different purpofe, but not fo happily, the fame
image of the ineffedlual working of imagination in a
dream :
" Ac veluti in fomnis oculos ubi languida prefEt
" Nofte quies, necquicquam avidos extendere curfus
" Velle videmur, & in mediis conatlbus segri
" Succidimus ; non lingua valet, nou corpore notse
" Sufficiunt vires, nec vox, aut verba fequuntur." JEn. XII. 908.
" And a?, when flumber feals the clofing fight,
" The fick wild fancy labours in the night;
" Some dreadful vifionary foe we fhun
" With airy ftrides, but ftrive in vain to run ;
*' In vain our baffled limbs their pow'rs effay ;
•' "We faint, ,we ftruggle, fink, and fall away ;
" Drain'd of our ftrength, we neither fight nor fly,
" And on the tongue the ftruggling accents die." Pitt.
Lucretius expreffes the very fame image with
Ifaiah: •' Ac veluti in fomnis fitiens quum quaerit, & humor
" Non datur, ardorem in membris qui. ftinguere poflit :
" Sed laticum fimulachra petit, fruftraque laborat,
" In medioque fitit torrenti flumine potans," IV. 109 1.
¦VOL. II, P Ibid.

*io noTes on chap. Xxixf.
' Ibid, —their armies and their tower? — ] For
n/nJtia'J n''as, I read with the Chald. om^JDI DNna.
9. They are drunken^ but not with wine.] See
Note on chap. l». 21.
1 1. I cannot read it — ] An Antient ms and lxx
have prefer-ved a word here, loft out of the Text,
T\npb, (for naipb,) avxyvocvou.
13. JEHOVAH — ] For »nK fixty-three MSS, and
three Editioris, read niHS and five mss add TltTf.
Ibid. And -vain — ] I read, for >njll, in/T), with
LS/x, Matt. xv. 9. Mark vn. 7. and, for DHD^D,
DHD^D, with Chald.
17. Ere Lebanon become like Carmel — ] A Ma
fhal, or proverbial faying, expreffing any gfeat re
volution of things ; and, when refpedling two' fub
jedls, an entire reciprocal change : explained here
by fome interpreters, I think with great probability,
as having its principal view beyond the revolutions
then near at hand ; to the rejedlion of the Jews, and ,
the calling of the Gentiles. The firft were the vine
yard of God, ^K D")3, (if the Prophet, who loves ¦
an allufion to words of like founds, may be fuppofed
to have intended one here,) cultivated and watered
by him in vain, to be given up, and to become a
wildernefs : compare chap. v. i — 7. The lafl had
been hitherto barren, but were, by the grace, of
God, to be rendered fruitful. See Matth. xxi. 43.
Rom. XI. 30, 31. Carmel ftands here oppofed 'to
Lebanon, and therefore is to be taken as a proper
name. 21. — that pleaded in the gate] " They are heard
by the treafurer, mailer of the horfe, and other
principal oflicers of the regency [of Algiers,] who
fit conftantly in the gate of the palace for that pur
pofe :" [that is, the diftribution of juftice.'] Shaw,
Travels, p. 315. fol. He adds, in the Note, " That
we read of the Elders in the gate, Deut. xxn.;! 5,
and

CHAP. XXIiC. ISAIAH. flit
and xxv. 7. artd If xxix. 21. Amos v. 10. of him
that reproveth and rebuketh in the gate. The Otto
man Court likewife feems to have been called the
Port^ from the diftribution of juftice, and the dif
patch of public bufinefs, that is carried on in the
gates of it."
22. — the God of the houfe of Jacob.] I read
tJK, as a noun, not a prepofition: the parallel line
favours this, fenfe; and there is no addrefs to the
houfe of Jacob, to juftify the other.
Ibid. — covered with confufion] " llinS Chald.
ut 0 [jLsrod^oiKst] Theod. svrpKvrjo-srai, Syr. 1*13113,
videtur legendum nsn»: hic enim folum legitur
verbum mn, nec in Unguis affinibus habet pudoris
fignificationem." secker.
23. When his children fhall fee — ] Fpr IDHia,
I read J^^*¦)3, with lxx, and Syr.

CHAP. XXX.

I. "Who ratify covenants^-] Heb. ""Who pour
out a libation." Sacrifice and libation were cere
monies conftantly ufed, in antient tinies, by moft
nations, in the ratifying of covenants : a libation
therefore is ufed for a covenant, as in Greek the'
word a-TTovln, for the fame reafon, ftands for both.
This 'feems to be the moft eafy explication of the
Hebrew phrafe ; and it has' the authority of the lxx,
STTOirjo-ars arvv9vjnag.
'4. — at Hanes] Six mss, and perhaps fix others,
read D3n, in vain, for D3n> Hanes ; and fo alfo lxx,
who read likewife lyy, laboured, for M}'^^, ar
rived at. f: ¦
p 2 5. — were

ftia NOTES OJ* CHAP. xxx.
5. — were afhamed—] Eight mss (one An
tient,) read B»'»3rT, without ^^. So Chald. and Vulg.
Ibid. But proved — ] Four mss (three Antient)
after *D add DK, which feems wanted tO compleat the
phrafe in its ufual form.
6. The burthen — ] Kt^a feems here to be taken
in its proper fenfe ; the load, not the oracle. The
fame fubjedl is continued ; and there feems to be no
place here for a new Title to a diftindl Prophecy.
Ibid. — a land of diftrefs — ] The fame deferts
are. here fpoken of, which the Ifraelites paffed
through, when, they came out of Egypt; which
Mofes defcribes, Deut. viir. 15. as " that great
and terrible wildernefs, wherein were fiery ferpents,
and fcorpions, and ' drought ; where there was no
water." And which was defigned to be a kind of
barrier between them and Egypt, of which the Lord
had faid, " Ye fhall henceforth return no more tiiat
way." Deut. xvn. 16.
6. — wiU not profit them] A ms. adds in the
margin the word ID^, which feems to haye been loft
out of the Text: it is authorized by lxx, and
Vulg. 7. Rahab the Inadlive] The two laft words, on
XSya, joined into one, make the Participle Pihel
r\2V2y\. I find, that the learn"Bd Profeffor Doeder
lein, in his Verfion of Ifaiah, and Note- on this
place, has given the fame corijedlurer which he
fpeaks of as having been formerly publifhed by him.
A concurrence of different perfons in the fame con
jedlure adds to it a greater degree of probability.
8. For a teftimony] ny"?, fo Syr. Chald. Vulg.
and LXX, in msS Pachom- and i D. n. sig ixufjv^icy,
which two words have been loft out of the other co
pies of LXX.
12. -^in obliquity] vpV2, tranfpofing the two
, laft letters of p^V2, in oppreffion, which feems not to

CHAP. XXX. ISAIAH. ai^
to belong to this place : a .very probable conjedlure
of Houbigant. 13. — a. fwelling in a high wall] It has been ob
ferved before, that the buildings of Afia generally
confift of little better -than what we call mud-walls,
" AU the houfes at Ifpahan, fays Thevenot, (vol.
II. p. 159.) are built of bricks made of clay and
ftraw, and dried in the fun ; and covered with a
plafter made of a fine white ftone. In other places
in Perfia, the houfes are buUt with nothing elfe but
fuch bricks, made with tempered clay and chopped
ftraw, well mingled together, and dried in the fun,
and then ufed : but the leaft rain diffolves them.^
Sir John Chardin's ms. Remark on this place of Ifa
iah is very appofite : " Murs en Afie etant faits de
terre fe fendertt ainfi par milieu & de haut en bas."
This fhews clearly how obvious and expreflive the
image is. The Pfalmift has in the fame manner
made ufe of it, to exprefs fudden and utter deftruc-
tion :
'• Ye fhalfbe flain all of you ;
*' [Ye fliall be] like an inclining wall, like a fhattered
'' fence." - Pf. lxii. 4.
14. - — and fpareth it not] Five mss add the con-
jun(9:ion "j to the negative ; ab'i.
17. —ten thoufand — ] In the fecond line of this
verfe a word is manifeflly omitted, which -fhould
anfwer to one thoufand in the firft : lxx fupply •moX-
Koi, D''2'l. But the true word is n^a'l ; as, I ani
perfuaded, any one wiU be convinced, who w^ll
compare the following paffages with this place :
*' How fhould one chafe a thoufand ;
" And two put ten thoufand [mm] to flight."
Deut. XXXII. 30.

I" 3

And

Al4 ' NOTES ON CHAP. XXX.
*' And five of you fhall chafe a hundred ;
*' And a hundred of you ihall chafe [n32")] ten
" thoufand." Lev. xxvi. 8.
1 8. -jfhall he expedl in filence] For p)'lS he
fhall be exalted, which belongs not to this place,
Houbigant reads DIT, he ftall be filent : and fo it
feems to be in a ms. Another ms inftead ofit reads
2*^, he fhall return. The miftakes occafioned by
the fimUitude of the letters 1 and T are very fre
quent, as the reader may have already obferved. '
19. When a holy people — ] 'kao.g ayiog, lxx,
WVip Dy.' The word tiVip, lofl out of the Text, but
happily fupplied by lxi^, clears up the fenfe-, other-
wife eixtremely obfcure.
Ibid. - — fhalt implore him with weeping] The
negative particle K^ is not acknowledged by lxx.
It may perhaps have been written by miftake for 1^,
of which there are many examples.
,2Q. Though JEHOVAH — ] For '0'^^i, flxteen
B.iss, and three Editions, have rnn*.
21. — to the right, or to the left] Syr. Chald.
Vulg. tranflate as if, inftead of Ol— >3, they read
22. And ye fhall treat — ] The very prohibition
of Mofes, Deut. vn., 25. only thrown out of the
profe into the poetical form. " The graven images
" of their gods ye fhall burn with fire : thou fhalt
" not defire the filver or the gold that is on, them;
" nor take it unto thee, left thou be fnared therein ;;
" for k is an abomination to jehovah thy God."
25. the mighty — ] D''^1JI3, p£yu7 ovg, Sym. //;-
yaXvvopsvovg, Aquila. V^l^l, Chald.
26. .^-fhall be fevenfold] The Text adds, *ViK3
D''b''n hyaty, " as the fight of feven days," a mani
feft glofs, taken in from the margin : it is not in
moft of the copies of lxx, it interrupts the rhyth mical

CHAP. xxx. ISAIAH. f- 215
mical conftrudli'bn,- .¦ and obfcures- the: fenfe by a
falfe, or at leaft an unneceffary, interpretation.
27. ^^— the flame — ] nNtWD ; this word feems to
be rightly rendered in our tranflation, the flame,
Jud. XX. 38 and 40, &c. a fign of flre, Jer. vi. i.
called properly nKtt^D, an elevation, from its tending
upwards. 28. — to tofs the nations with the van of perdi
tion] The word VSTI'b is in its form very irregular.
Kimchi fays it is for sj^jn^. Houbigant fuppofes it
to be a miftake, and fhews the caufe of it; the
joining it to the Ti, which fliould begin the follow
ing word. The true reading is D''1Jn ^'^¦
The Vulgate feems to be the only one of- the an
tient interpreters, who has explained rightly the
fenfe ; but he has dropped the image : " ad per-
1 " dendas gentes in nihilum." Kimchi's explanation
is to the following effedl: " nS3 is a -ran with which
they winnow corn ; and its ufe is to cleanfe the corn
from the chaff and ftraw : but the van, with which
God will winnow the nations, will be the Van' of
emptiriefs, or perdition ; for nothing ufeful fhaU re
main behind, but all fhall come to nothing, and
perifh. In like m.anner, a bridle is defigned to
guide the horfe, in the right way ; but the bridle,
which God will put in the jaws of the people, fhall
not diredl them aright, but fhall make them err,
and lead them into deftrudlion." This latter image
the Prophet has applied to the fame fubjedl ' after
ward, ch- xxxvn. 29.
«' I will put my bridle in thy jaws,
*' And turn thee back by the way in which thou cameft."
And as to the form^er it is to be obferved, that the
van of the antients was a large inftrument, foinewhat
like a fhovel, with a long handle, with which they
-toffe.d the corn mixed with the chaff and chopped
p 4 - ftraw

ftl6 NOTES ON CHAP. XXX*
ftraw into the air, that the wind might feparate
them. See Hammond on Matth. in. 12!
31. He, that was — 1; ' ' Poft iwa forte excidit
yifa." SECKER.
.. 32. — the rod of - corrcidlion] For moiD, the
grounded ftaff,. of which no one yet has been able to
iriake ,any tolerable fenfe. Le Clerc conjedlured
' niDID, of correaion; fee Prov. xxn. 15. and fb it
is in two MSS, (one of them Antient,) and feems to
be fo in the Bodley ms. Syr. has ^¦^ayw^, virga do
mans, vd fubjedlionis.
Ibid. — againft them] , For n3, fifty-two mss,
and five Editions, read D3.
- . Ibid, —with tabrets- and harps] "With every de
monftration of joy and thankfgiving for the deftruc-
tiort ofthe enemy in fo wonderful a manner : with
hymns of praife, accompanied with mufical inftru
ments. See ver. 29.
^'^. For Tophet is ordained — ] Tophet is a valT-
ley very near to Jerufalem, to the fouth-eaft, called
alfo the Valley of Hinnon, or Gehenna ', where the
Canaanites, -and afterwards the Ifraelites, facrificed '
their children, by making them pafs through the
fire ; that is, by burning them in the fire, to Mo
loch. It is therefore ufed as a place of punifliment
by fire ; and by our bleffed Saviour in the Gofpel
for hell-fire : as ithe Jews themfelves had applied it;
fee Chald. on Ifaiah, xxxin. 14. where cbv *lp1D
is rendered " the Gehenna of everlafling fire." Here"
the place where the Aflyrian army was deftroyed
is called Tophet by , a metonymy ; for the Aflyrian
army wa^ deftroyed probably at a greater diftance from
Jeriifalem, and quite on the oppofite fide of it : for
Nob'-, is mentioned as the laft ftation, from which
the king of Affyria fhould threaten Jerufalem, chap.
X. 32. -w/here the Prophet feems to have given avery
exadl chorograpMcal defcription of his march' in order
to attack the City.
CHAP.

iif.

CHAP, XXXI. ISAIAH.

CHAP. XXXI.

I. Who truft' — "] For^yi 1™° twenty mss, and
txx, and Vulg. read b)f, without the conjundlion.
2. — his word] "1121, fingular, without % ms.
and lXx, and Targ. Hierof.
4, Like as the lion — ] This comparifon is ex
adlly in the fpirit and manner, and very nearly ap
proaching to the expreffion of Homer :
B17 S' i^.sv, oogs Ksoov opi<rir^o(p.og, og" trr^swig
A.v,pov sri TC^ftxv, Kshsrcci 5s I Bvjjt.og ocyrjKtjp,
M/)Awv rs'Hpris-ovTX, xat stgnsv/ttvov "ho^ov sXShV
EiTTEp yap y^ sv^yfTi rzap ocvro(pi (Suropag aV^pug
2uy KUTt yJat ^apstra-t (pvXa(r<rovToi,i "liits^i p.y(ku,
Ou pa r arrstpYjiog ^s^ioi/s gaSfjiOio hscrOdt'
A7i.A' oy ap' tj '^pTra^i fjLiraX[j.svog, ris xai 'avrog
E£?\)jt' iv rar^TOia-i Bovig wtto 'ystpog axovri.
¦ ¦ Iliad XII, 299.
As the bold lion, mountain-bred, now long
Famifh'd, with courage and with, hunger ftutig,
Attempts the thronged fold : him nought appalls.
Though dogs and armed fhephe,i-ds ftand in guard
' (^oUefted ; he nathlefs undaunted fprings '
O'er the high feiice, and rends the trembling prey ;
Or rufning onward in his breaft- receives
The well aimed fpear.
Of-metaphors, allegories, and comparifon of the
Hebrew poets, in which the Divine nature and at
tributes are reprefented under images. takeri from
brutes and other Ipw objedls; of*their effedl, their
fublimity, and the caufes of it; fee De S. Poef.
Hebr. Prccledl. xvi,. fub fin, ^. leaping

3pl8^ N.OTES ON ' CHAP. XXXI.
5. leaping forward — ] The generality of inter
preters obferve in this place an allufion to the deli
verance, which God vouchfafed to his peOple, when
he deftroyed the firft-born Of the Egyptians, and
exempted thofe of the Ifraelites fojourning among
them by a peculiar interpofition. The, fame word
is made ufe of here, whicli is ufed upon that occa
fion ; and which gave the name to the Feaft, which
was inftituted in commemoration of that deliverance ;
flDE). But the difficulty is, to reconcile the com
monly received meaning of that word' with the cir-
Cuiriflances of the fimilitude here ufed to illuftrate
the deliverance, reprefented as parallel to the deli
verance in Egypt.
"As the mother-birds hovering over their young;
" So fhall JEHOVAH God of hofts proteft Jerufalem,
" Protedling and delivering, tiajjmg over, and refcuing
" lier."
This difficulty is, I think, well folved by Vitrin
ga ; whofe remark is the more worthy of obferva
tion, as it leads to the true meaning of an importarit
-word, which hitherto feems greatly to have been
inifunderftobd ; though Vitringa himfelf, as it ap
pears to me, has not exadlly enough defined the
precife meaning of it. He fays, " nOS) fignifies to
" cover, to protedl by covering; ixtts-nxTM vjj.<xg,
"lxx. jjiuov ah, obteget oftium:" whereas it
means that particular action or motion, by which
God at that time placed himfelf in fuch a fituation
as to protedl the houfe of the Ifraelite againft the
deftroying angel : to fpring forward, to throw one's
felf in the way, in order -to cover and protedl. Coc-
Ceius comes nearer to the true irieaning than Vitrin
ga, by rendering, it, gradum facere, to march, to
ftep forward. Lexicon in v. The common meaning
of the word HDS upon other occafions is to halt, to
be lame, to leap in a rude manner of dancing, (as
the

CHAP. XXXI. ISAIAH. Hig
the prophets of Baal did, i Kings Xviii. 26.) all
which agrees very well together ; for the motion of
a lame perfon is a perpetual fpringing forward, by
throwing himfelf from the weaker ,upon the ftronger
leg. The common notion of God's paffing over the
houfes of the Ifraelites is, that in going through the
land of Egypt to fmite the firft-born, feeing the
blood on the door of the houfes of the Ifraelites, he
paffed over, or fkipped, thofe houfes, and forebore
to fmite them. But that this is not the true notion
of the thing, will > be plairi frbm confidering the
words of the facred hiftorian ; ,where h^ defcribes
very explicitly" the adlion: "For jehovah will
¦" pafs through, to fmite the Egyptians; and when
" he feeth the blood on the lintels and on ,the two
" fide pofts, jehovah will fpring forwardpver (or
before) the door, nriEn bV mn^ DDSI, and will not
" fuffer the deftroyer to come into your houfes to
" fmite you." Exod. xn. 23. Here are manifeftly
two diftindl agents, with which the notion of pafftng
over is not confiftent ; for that fuppofes but one
agent: the two agents are fhe deftroying angel
paffing through to fmite every houfe ; and jehovah
the protedlor, keeping pace with him ; and who,
feeing the door of the Ifraelite marked with the
bloOd, the token prefcrlbed, leaps forward, throws
liimfelf with a fudden motion in the way, oppofes
the defrroying angel ; and covers' and protedls that
houfe againft the deftroying angel, nor fuffers him
to fmite it. -In this way of confidering the adlion,
the beautiful fimilitude of the bird pi-otedling her
young, anfwers exadlly to the application by the al
lufion to the deliverance in Egypt ; as the mother
bird fpreads her wings to cover her young, throws
herfelf before them, and oppofes the rapacious bird
that affaults- thein, fo fhall jehovah protedl, as-
with a fliield, Jerufalem from the enemy, protedling and

g,29 NOTES ON CHAP, xxxii
and delivering, ^r«)!^/K|-/orw^?r^ and refcuing her;
v'^sfieilmv,^ as the three other Greek interpreters,
Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion, rendier it:
LXX, is-spi'KOtiia-srat ; inftead of wh'ich mss Pachom.
has tB-ff/Sijo-sTa/, circumeundo proteget, which I think
is the true reaciing. Homer (II. vi'ii. 331.) ex
prefles the very lame image by this word :
AAX« Bswv mrspt^T^j xai ol traKO; ap.(psKaKv:l^s :
——" But Ajax his broad fhield difplay'd,
" Ajid fcreen'd his brother with a mighty fhade."
 -'Os Xpuo-^jv ajutp/SsSijxaff. II. I. 37.
Which the Scholiaft explains by '^spi'^sZ^Kug, vyrsp-
jMxxsig. 6. ye. have fo deeply—^] All the antient verfions
read Ip^yjl, in the fecond. perfon.
7. The fin, which their own hands have made]
The conftrudlion ofthe word Kan,^«, in this place
is not eafy. ' "The lxx have ornitted it: mss Pa
chom. and I D. II. and Cod. Marchal. in margine,
fupply the omiffion by the word dpiapriav, or dpLap-
ryjp.«, faid to be from Aquila's verfion : which I have
followed. The learned profeffor Shroeder, Inftitut.
Ling. Hebr. p. 298. makes it to be in regimine with
Qyr, as an epithet ; your finful hands. The lxx
• render the pronOun in the third perfon, al %stDsg av-
Twv; and an Antient ms has,, agreeably to that ren
dering, pnb, foroD'?; which word they have like-
wife omitted, as not neceffary to complete the fenfe.

CHAP.

chap, xxxn. I S'A I A H, flit

CHAP. XXXII.

I. And princes — ] D^W, without^; fo the an
tient verfions. An Antient ms. has inw, and his
princes. ,
2 As the fhadow of a great rock] The fhadow
of a great projedling rock is the moft refrefhing that
is poffible in a hot country, not only as inoft per
fedlly excluding the rays of the fun ; but alfo having
in itfelf a natural coolnefs, which it refledls and
communicates to every thing about ij.
" Speluncsque tegant, & faxea procubet umbra."
Virg. Georg. in. 145.
" Let the cool cave and Ihady rock proteft them."
Eot/ x.s(paA)jv rMi yovvarcc T.sipiog aCsi,
AvaXsog OS rs' xpoug' utto -^avjj.arog- aXAa ror >j«j
Eifj rffsrpocit; n a-xiri, xat BtQhivog oivog. Hefiod. II. 206.
When Sirius rages, a^nd thine aching head,
Parch'd fkin, and feeble knees refrefhment need ;
Then to the rock's proje<Sed fhade retire,
With Biblin wine recruit thy wafted pov.?'rs.
3. And him the eyes] For k"?!, Le Clerc -reads
ib'l, of which miftake the- Maforetes acknowlege
there are fifteen inftances ; and many more are rec
koned by others. The removal of the negative rer
ftores to the verb its true and ufual fenfe.
6. The fool wiU ftfll utter folly] A fort of pro-
. verbial faying; which Euripides (Bacchae, 369.)
has, expreffed in the very fame manner and words;
ucijptx yap iJ.ct.'pcg7.syst. Of this- kind of fimple and
2 un-

aa* NO'TES ON CHAP, xxxii.
unadorn'ed proverb or parable, fee De S. Poef. Hebr.
Prasledl. xxiv.
Ibid. Againft jehovah] For ^l*, two mss read
bv, more properly.
7. As for the niggard his inftruments — ] His
machinations, his defigns. The Paronomafia, which
the Prophet frequently deals in, fuggefted this, ex
preffion : 1>^3.^^3'). The firft word is expreffed with
fome variety in the mss : feven mss read 'b''D1, one
b2\, another ^VlDV
. Ibid. And to defeat the affertions — ] A word
feems to have been loft here, and two others to have
fuffered a fmall alteration ; which has made the fen
tence very obfcure. The lxx have happily retained
the rendering of the loft word, and reftored the fen
tence in all its parts ; -A-ai 5/acrK;S«ira< Koyovg ruTTStVocV
Bvupta-si- tD3t:'i32']Vl» '"n^T nan^V They frequently
render the verb "iSn by haa-Kjslaa-ai. A ms. reads
¦laibl; which gives authority for the prepofition b
neceflary to the fenfe ; and lxx, Syr. Chald. read
tD3!yD2. 8. And he by his generous — ] " Of the four
" forts of perfons mentioned, ver. 5. three are de-
" fcribed, ver. 6, 7, and 8. but not the fourth."
SECKER. Perhaps for Kim we ought to read VW\.
II. gird the fackcloth — ] p'p, fackcloth, a word
neceffary to the fenfe is here lofl ; but preferved by
LXX, MSS Alex, and Pachom. and i D. n. and
Edit. Aid. and Comp. and Arab, and Syr.
Ibid. Tremble — be- difquieted — ftrip ye — ] nWT,
HD'.I'S, &c. Thefe are Infinitives, with a paragogic
n, according to Schultens Inftitut. Ling. -Hebr. p,
453. and are to be taken in an Imperative fenfe.
12. Mourn ye for the pleafant field] The lxx,
Syr. and Vulg. read nSD, mourn ye. Imperative :
twelve MSS, (five Antient,)' two Editions, lxx,
' . ' Aquila,

CHAP, xxxn. ISAI Ah. 223
Aquila, Sym. Theod. Syr. Vulg. all iead 7yw,fielcf;
not vw, breafls.
\ 13. -^and the 'brier fliall come up] All the an
tient verfions read TDiyi, with the conjundlion. , And
an Antient ms.' has ^2 TbVT\, whith feems to be
right ; or rather n2 : and there is a rafure in the
place of 13 in another Antient MS.
Ibid. Yea over all — ] For >i, the antient ver
fions, except Vulg. feem to have read 1. »3 may
perhaps be a miftake for ^2 or ni above mentioned.
It is not neceffary in this place.
1 13 — 18. Over the land of my people — ] This
defcription of impending diftrefs belongs to other
times than that of Senacherib's invafion, from which
they were fo foon delivered. It muft at leaft .extend
to the ruin of the country and city by the Chalde
ans. And the promife of bleffings, which follows,
was not fulfilled under the Mofaic difpenfation ; they
belong to the kingdom of Mefliah. Compare ver.
15. with chap. xxix. 17. and fee the Note there.
14. Ophel] It was a part of moiint Sion, rifing
higher than the reft ; at the eaftern extremity, near ,
to the Temple, a little to the fouth of it : called by
Micah, IV. 8. " Ophel of the daughter of Sion."
It was naturally ftrong by its fituation, and had a
wall of its own, by which it was feparated from the
reft of Sion.
15. And the fruitful field] ^D'HDm, fifteen mss,
(fix Antient,) and two Editions : which feemS to
make the noun an appellative.
19. The city fhall be laid level with the plain]
For n^Styi"), Syr. reads n'^Bt^DV The city, probably
Niniveh, or Babylon : but this, verfe is very obfcure.
"Saltus; Affyriorum regnum: civitas; magnifica
*^ Affyriorum caftra." Ephrsem. Syr. in loc. For

,aJ4. NOTES ON CHAP. XXXII.
'V^2^, a MS. has Tni") ; and fo conjedlured Archbifhop
Secker, referring to.Zech. xi. 2.
20. who fow your feed in every watery ' placej
Sir John Chardin's Note on this place is: "This
exadlly anfwers the manner of planting rice; for
they fow it upon the water: and before fowing,
while the earth is covered with water, they caufe the
ground to. be trodden by oxen, horfes, and ~^ffes,
who go mid-leg deep; and this is the way of pre
paring the ground for fowing. As. they fow the rice
on the water, they tranfplant it iri the water." Har
mer's Obferv. I. p. 280. " Rice is the food of two-
" thirds of mankind." Dr. Arbuthnot. " It is cul-
*' tivated, in moft of the eaftern countries." Miller.
" It is 'good for all, and at all times." Sir J. Char-
tiln, 'ibid. " Le ris qui eft-leur principal aliment &
leur froment (i. e. des Siamois) n'eft jamais affez ar-
rofe ; il croit au milieu de I'eau, & les campagnes
oil on le cultive reffemblent plut6t , a de marets que
non pas a des terres qu'on laboure avec la" charue.
Le ris a bien cette force, que quoy qu'il y ait fix ou
fept pieds d'eau fur lui, il pouffe toujours fa tige au
deffus, & le tuyau. qui le-porte s'eleve & croit a pro
portion de la hauteur de Teau qui no3fe fon' champ."
Voyage de I'Eveque de Beryte, p. 144. Paris,
1666.

CHAP.

CHAP. XXXIII. ISAIAH.- 2^^

CHAP. XXXIII.

The plan of the Prpphecy, continued in this chap
ter,, and which is manifeftly diftindl from the fore
goirig, is peculiarly elegant. To'fet it, in a proper
light, it will be neceffary to mark the tranfitions
from one part of it to another.
In yer. i. The Prophet addreffes himfelf to Sena
cherib, briefly, but ftrongly and elegantly, expref
fing the injuftice of his ambitious defigns, arid ^ the
fudden difappointment of them.
ver. 2. The Jews are introduced offering up their
, earneft fupplications to God in their prefent diftrefs
ful condition ; with expreffions of their truft and
confidence in his protedlion.
ver. 3 and 4. The Prophet, jn the name of God,
or father (Gfod himfelf, is introduced addreffing him
felf to Senacherib, and. threatening him, that not-,
withftanding the terror which he had occafioned in
the invaded countries, yet he fhould fall, and be
come an eafy prey to thofe whom he had iiltended
to fubdue.
ver. 5 and 6. A chorus of Jews is introduced, ae-
. knowleging the mercy and power of God, who had
undertaken to protedl them ; extolling it with diredl
oppofition' to the' boafted power of their enemies;
and Celebrating the wifdom and piety of their king
Hezekiah, who had placed his confidence in the fa
vour of God.
Then follows, ver. 7— 9^ a defcription of the
diftrefs and defpair of the Jews, upbn the king of
Affyria's- marching againfl Jerufalem, 'and fentiirig
his fummons to them to furrender, after the treaty
VOL. n. a he

1*6 NOTES ON CHAP, xxxm,
he had hiade with Hezekiah on the conditions of
his paying, as he adlually did pay to him, three
hundred talents of filver, and thirty talents of gold.
2 Kings XVIII. 14- — 16.
ver. 10. God himfelf is again introduced, de
claring that he will interpofe in this critical fituation
of affairs, and difappoint the vain defigns of the
enemies of his people, by difjpomfiting and utterly
confuriiing them.
, Then follows, ver. 1 1—22. ftill in the perfon of
God, (which however falls at laft into that of the
Prophet) a defcription qf the dreadful apprehenfions
pf the wicked in thofe times of diftrefs . and immi
nent danger ; finely Contrafted with the confidence
and fecurity of the righteous, and their truft in the
promifes of God, that he will be their never-failing
ftrength and protedlor.
r The whole concludes, in the perfon of the Pro-'
phet, with a defcription ofthe fecurity of, the Jews
under the protedliori of God, and of the wretched
ft:ate of Senacherib and his army, wholly difcom
fited, and expofed to be plundered, even by the
weakeft of the enemy.
Much of the beauty of this paffage depends on
the explanations above given of ver. 3 and 4. , as ad
drefled by the Prophet, or by God himfelf, to Sd-
nacherib ; not, as it is ufually taken, as addrefled
by the Jews to God, ver. 3 ; and then, ver. 4, as
'¦addreffed to the Aflyrians. To fet this in a clear
light it may be of ufe to compare it with a paflage
of the Prophet Joel : where, fpeaking of the de-
ffrudlion caufed by the locufls-, he fets in the fame
ftrong light of oppofition, as Ifaiah does here, the
power of JEHOVAH, who would deftroy that ^^jemy.
'Thus Ifaiah, to Senacherib :

Wl:

:ien

feHjM>i xxxiti. ISAIAH. 427
•' When thou didft raife thyfelf up, the "nations were
"difperfed — ver. 3*
" But now will I arife, faith jehovah j
" Now will I be exalted." Vcr. 10.
And thus Joel, 11. 'Xo, 21.
" His ftink IhaU come up, and his ill favour IhaU
'' afcend ;
" Though he hath done gre^t things.
" Fear not, O lan.d, be glad and rejoice;
" For JEHOVAH will do great things.'*
I. thou plunderer — ] See Note on chap.
XXI. 2.
Ibid, —when thou art weary—] " '\r\b2'D, ^fibl
non extat in s.s. nifi f. Job xv. 29. ---fimplicius eft
legere ^n^D3. Vid. CapeU. nec repugnat Vitringa.
Vid. Dan. ix. 24. n^D, D^/IH." secker.
2. our ftrength — ] For nytt, Syr. Chald.- Vulg.
read liyit, in the firft ' perfon of the pronoun, nqt
the third: the Edition of Felix Pratenfis has ^yW)^
in the margin.
3. From thy terrible voice—] For pDrf, lxx',
and Syr. read yaa ; whom 1 follow.
6. — thy treafure — "] 0 Bria-avpog crov, Sym. He
had in Jiis copy "pSN, not -nsi*.
7. — the mighty men raife a grievous cry] Three
mss read a^"?^**^l<: that is. Lions of God, or ftrong
Lions ; fo they called valiant men, heroes ; which
appellation the Arabians and IPerfians ftill ufe. See-
Bochart. Hieroz. P. I. lib. in. cap. i. "Maho
met ayant reconnu Hamzeh fon oncle pour homme
de courage & de valeur, lui donne le titre -ou furnom
d' Affad AUah, qui fignifie, le Lion de Dieu."
D'Herbelot, p. 42,7. And. for nijn, Syr. and Chald.
read nt^p, whom I follow. Chald. Syr. Aquila,-
Sym. and Theod. read Qn^ m^ia, or HiD*: with
what meaning, is nqt clear. o » 9. —are

ft'zS- note's ON <3hap. XXXIIil
9; — are ftripped— ] lXx, <pa»'f|oa«s'«'' they read
myji. ' ^
II. And my fpirit — ] "For DSm'l, read
V^'H ''DY)" secker. "Which reading is confirmed
by Chald. where 'nD''0, my word, anfwers to VO)
my fpirit. 15. '-^the propofal of blood-fhed] A ms. reads
18. Where is he that numbered the towers?}
That is, the comiiiander of the enemy's forces, who
furveyed the fortifications of the city, and took an
a'ccOunt' of the highth, ftrength, and fituation' of
tiie walls and towers ; that he might know where^ to
make the aflault with the greateft advantage : as Ca-
paneus before Thebes is reprefented in a paffage of
the Phceniffae of Euripides, which Grotius has ap^
plied as an illuftration of this place :
F.KCtvpg STrrcc zir^otr'oaa-iig rsx-pLoupsrett ¦
. Jlv^yaiv-, avuirs Kut xmrco rsi%yi piSrpcay. ver. 187,
20. Thou fhalt fee — '] For ntn, read ntn/l, with
. the Chaldee. ¦ Houbigant.
21. But the glorious name of jehovAh—-] I
take Diy for a noun, with lxx, and Syr. fee Pf,
XX. I. Prov. XVIII. 10.
' 23. Thy maft — ^]^ For n3'^J^, their, maft, Syr.
reads "I*3")D. lxx, and Vulg. ^^'^n, 0 tgog crov SKklvtv'
thy maft is fallen afide : lxx. they feem to have read
nD3, or (nD3,) ynn -, or rather p n"?, is not firm^
the negative having been omitted in the prefent text
by miftake. Plowever, I have followed their fenfe,-
which. feems very' probable; as the prefent reading
is to me extremely obfcure. , '
24. Neither fhall the inhabitant fay — ] This
verfe is fomewhat obfcure : the meaning of it feems'
to be, that the army bf Senacherib IhaU by the
ftroke of God be reduced to fo fliattered and fo weak
a con^

jCHAP. XXXIII. ISAIAH aa^
a Condition, that the Jews fhall faU upon the remain^
pf them, and plunder them without refiftance : that
the mofl infirm and difabled of the people of Jeru
falem fhall come in for their fhare of the fpoil; the
lame fhall feize the prey ; even the fick and the dlf
eafed fhall throw afide their infirmities, and recover
ftrength enough to haften to the general plunder.
The laft line of the verfe is parallel to the firft,
and expreffes the fame fenfe in other words. iSick-
nefs being confidered as a vifitation from God, and
a punifhment of fin ; the forgivenefs of firi is equi*
valent to the removal of a difeafe.- Thus the Pfal*-
mift :
" Who forgiveth all thy fin ;
" And healeth all thine infirmities." Pf. cm'. 3.
Where the latter lirie only varies the expreffion of
the former. And our bleffed Saviour reafons with
the Jews on the fame principle :. "Whether is it-ea-
" fier 1;o fay to the fick bf the palfy. Thy fins are
*' forgiven thee ;, or to fay, Arife, and take up thy
"bed, and walk?" Mark n. 9. See alfo Matth^
VIII. 17. If. LIII. 4. Qui locus Ifaiae, ** i Pet. n,
24. refertur ad remiffionem peccatorum: hic vero
ad fanationem morborum, quia ejufdem potentiae 8?
bonitatis eft .utrumque prseftare ; &, quia peccatis
remiffis, & morbi, qui frudlus funt peccatorum,
peUuntur." Wetftein On Matth. vni. 17.
That this prophecy was exadlly fulfilled, I think
We may gather from the hiftory of this great event
-giveri by the Prophet himfelf It is plain, that He.;.
zekiah, by his treaty with Senacherib, by which, he
agreed to pay him three hundred talents of filver and
thirty talent's of gold, had ftripped himfelf of his
whole treafure : he nqt only gave him all the , filver
and gold that was in his own treafury, and in that
of the TemplCj but was even forced to cut off the
a 3 gold

a^O N9T_ES ON CHAP. XXXIII.
gold from the doors of the Temple and from the
pUlars, with which he had hinifelf overlaid them,
to fatisfy the demands of the kuig pf Affyria-: but
0.fter the deflrudlion of the Aflyrian army we find, '
that he "had exceeding much riches, and that he
*' made himfelf treafuries for filver, and for gold,
*' and for precious ftones," &c. 2 Chron. xxxn.
;S7. He was fo rich, that out of pride and vanity
he difplayed his wealth to the ambaffadors from Ba-
.bylort. This canriot be otherwife accounted for,
than by the prodigious fpoil that was taken on tiie
deftrudlion of the. Affyriain army.

CHAP. XXXIV. XXXV,

Thefe two chapters make one diftindl projphecy ;
^ intire, regular, and beautiful poem, confifting
of two parts : the firft containing a denimciation of
Divine vengeance againft the enemies of the people,
or Church of God; the fecond defcribing the
ilourifhing ftate of the Church of Gdd, confe
quent upon the execution of thofe judgements.
The event foretold is reprefented as of the higheft
importance, and of univerfal Cojicern ; all nations
are called upon tq attend to the deiclaration of it;
and the wrath of God is, denoiuiced againft all the
nations; that is, aU thofe that had provoked to- an
ger the defender of the caufe of Sion. Among thofe
Edom is particularly fpecified. The principal pro
vocation of Edom was their infulting the Jews in
their diftrefs, and joining againft fhem with their
enemies the Chaldeans ; fee Amos i. 11. Ezek. xxv.
12. xxxv. 15. Pf cxxxvn. 7. Accordingly the
Edomites were, together with the reft of the neigh
bouring

CHAP. -XxilV. ISAIAH. 231
bouring nations, ravaged and laid wafte by Nebu
chadnezzar: fee Jer. xxv. 15 — 26. Malachi i. 3,
4. and fee Marfham. Can. Chron. SgeC xvin. who
calls this the age of the deftrudlion of cities. The
general devaftation fpread through all thefe countries
by Nebuchadnezzar, may be the event which the
Prophet has primarily in view in the xxxivth chap
ter: but this event, as far as we. have any account
of it in hiftory, feems by no means to come up to
the terms of the prophecy, or to juftify fo high-
brought and fo terrible a defcription. And it is not
eafy to difcover what connedlion the extremely flou
rifhing ftate of the Church or people of God, de
fcribed in the next chapter, , could have with thofe
events, and how the former could be the confe
quence of the latter, as it is there reprefented to be.
By a figure, very common in the prophetical wri
tings, any city, or people, remarkably diftinguiflied
as enemies of the people and kingdom of God, is put
for thofe enemies in general. This feems here to be the
cafe with Edom and Botfra. It feems therefore rea
fonable to fuppofe, with many learned expofitors,
that this prophecy has a further view to events ftill
future ; to fome great revolutions to be effedled in
later times, antecedent to that more perfedl ftate of
the kingdom of God upon earth, and ferving to in
troduce it, which the holy Scriptures warrant us to
expedl. That the xxxvth chapter has a view beyond any
thing, that could be the immediate confequence of
thofe events, is plain from every part, efpecially
from the middle ofit, ver. 5, 6. where the miracu
lous works wrought by our blefled Saviour are lb
clearly fpecified, that we cannot avoid making the
'application: and our Saviour himfelf has moreover
plainly referred to this very paffage as fpeai^ing of
him and his works: Matth, xi. 4, 5. ".He bids
04 , . . . . ^^^

a3^ NOTES oisr chap. xXjhvi
the difciples bf John to go and report to their mafter
the things which they heard and faw ; that the blind
feCeived their fight, the lame' Walked, and the 'deaf
heard :" and leaves it to him to draw the conclufiori
in anfwer to his inquiry, whether he who performed
fhe very works, which-the Prophets foretold fhould
be performed by the Meffiah, was not indeed the
Meffiah hiriifelf.- And Vv^here are thefe works fo di
ftindlly marked by any of the Prophets, as in this
place? and how could they be marked more di
ftindlly ? To thefe the ftridlly literal interpretation
of the Prophet's words diredls us. According to
the allegorical interpretation they may have a fufr^
ther view : this part of the prophecy rnay run pa-^'
rallel with the former, and relate 'to the -future ad
vent of Chrift ; to the converfion pf the Jews, and
their reftitutiori to their land ; to the extenfion and
purification of the Chriftian Faith ; events predidled
in the holy Scriptures, as preparatory to it.
"^i. And attend unto me — ] A ms. adds in this
line the word "ha, unto me, after O^DN^; which
feems to be genuine.
4, And all the hoft of heaven—^] See Note on
chap. XXIV. 21. & De Sacra- Poefi Hebraeorum
Prael. IX.
5. For my fword is mad^ bare in the heavenj
There feerns to be fome impropriety in this, accord
ing to the prefent reading: " my fword is made
" drunken, or is bathed, in the heavens :" which
foreftalls, and exprefles not in its proper place,
what belongs to the next verfe : for the fword of
jehovah was not to be bathed or glutted with
blood in the heavens ; but in Botfra and the land of
Edom. In the heavens it was only prepared for
flaughter. To 'remedy this, Archbifhop Secker pro
pofes to read, for D^Otta, DCna ; referring to Jeri
XLVr. 10. ' But even this is premature, and not in
: ' its

CHAP. XXXIVij ISAIAH. *33
its proper place. The Chaldee, foj nJT)*J, Has ""bj/lJi,
fihall be revealed, or difclofed: perhaps he read
^^*¦^J^, or nr!J*i:i. Whatever reading, different t
prefume from the prefent, he might find in his copy,
I follow the fenfe which he has given of it.
6. For .jeho-^-ah celebrateth' a facrifice] - Eze
kiel has manifeftly imitated this place of Ifaiah : . he
hath fet forth the great leaders and princes of the
adverfe powers under thq fame emblems , lOf goats,
buUs, rams,, fatlings, &c. and has added to thei
boldnefs of the imagery, by introducing God 4s fum*
monirtg all tiie fowls of the air, and all the beafts of
the field, and bidding them to the feaft, which
he has prepared for them by the flaughter, of the
enemies of his people : • .
" And thou, fon of man,
" Thus faith the Lord jehovah :
" Say to the bird of every wing, ¦ '^^ ¦'-=-
" And to every beaft of the field : .-.IT •"¦
" Affemble yourfelves, and come ; . '.- U.\
*' Gather together from every fide, , ,,-. ^.i,. .,,.
•' To the facrifice which 1 make for you, ' "¦'"
" A great flaughter bn the iiiountains of f frael.
" And ye fhall eat flelh and drink blood :
" The flefli ofthe mighty fhall ye eat, ' '-'i" "
" And the blood ofthe lofty ofthe earth fhall "ye drink }
"Of rams, of larabs, and of goats,
" Of bullocks, all of them the fat ones of Bafen 4
" And ye thai! eat fat till ye are cloyed,
"And drink blood, till ye'are drunVen ;
" Of my flaughter, which I have flain for you."
Ezek. XXXIX. i6, 17.
The fublime author of the Revelation (ch. xix»
17, 18.) has taken this image from Ezekiel, rather
than from Ifaiah.
7. -^with their blood] DD1D : fo an Antient ms.
Syi". and Chald. 8. —the

S34 NOTESON CHAP. XXXIV.
" 8. —^thc defender of the caufe of Sion] As from
xn, xn, a judge; fo from 3n, 3% an advocate, or
defender ; Judici Sionis. Syr. ''r ;
; 1 1. — over her fcorched plains] The word rf'Tl,
.joined to the 12th verfe, embarraffes it, and makes.
it. inexplicable. At leaft I do not know, that any
one has yet made out the conftrudlion, or given any
tolerable explication of it. I join it to the nth
verfe, and fupply a letter or two, which feem to
have been loft. Fifteen mss, (five Antient,) and
two Editions, read TVW. The firft printed edition
of i486, I think nearer to the truth, nnn Tin. I
read nmni, or nmn bv. fee Jer. xvn. 6, a ms.
.Has nnn, and the Syriac reads nnn, gaudium, join
ing it to the two preceding words ; which he like-
wife reads differently, but without improvirtg the
fenfe. However, his authority is clear for dividing
the verfes, as they are here divided. I read D?* as
a noun. They fhaU boaft, ')K")p'» ; fee Prov. xx. 6.
13. And in her palaces fhaU fpring up — '] 'b7\
n^iTlSaiKn, fo read all the Antient Verfions.
15. Every one her mate] A ms. adds ^N after
TWa, which feems neceffary to the conftrudlion;
and fo Syr. and Vulg. Another ms. adds in the
fame place r\K, which is equivalent.
16. For the mouth of jehovah] For aT\, five
MS 5, (three Antient,) read nins and another is fo
corredled: fo likewife lxx. Two Editions have
DlJt, andfo lxx, and Vulg. and a ms. has DMp;
with the mafculine pronoun inftead of the feminine :
and fo in the next verfes it is Dn"?, inftead of p"?, in
fourteen mss, fix of them Antient.

CHAP.

CHAP. XX3f V, I S Ai A H. 435

CHAP. XXXV.

I. -jfhall be glad.] hWV : in a ms. the fl feems
to have been added ; and UW is upon a rafure in
another: none of the antierit Verfions acknowlege
it ; it feems to have been a miftake arifing from the
next word's beginning with the fame letter. Sixteen
MSS have Dlli^tf*, and five mss WfifV.
2. The well watered , plain of Jordan] For p^l,
the LXX read pi>; t« sptip-a tov lopSavov. Four, mss
read rhi; fee Joffiua xv. 19. irrigua Jordani, Hou
bigant. nvi, ripa Jordani, Kennicott. " See De S.
Poefi Hebr. Praeledl. xx. Not.
Ibid. For nb, to it; nine mss read "jb, to thee^
See ibid.
7. — the glowing fand] nt£> ; this word is Ara-.
bic, as well, as Hebrew, expreffing in both languages
the fame thing; the glowing fandy plain, which in
the hot countries at a diftance has the appearance of
water. It occurs in the Koran, chap. xxiv. " But
?' as to the -unbelievers, their works are like a va-
f pour in a plain ; which the thirfty.traveller think-
f eth to be water, until, when he cometh thereto,
*' he findeth it to be nothing." Mr. Sale's Note on
this place is ; *^ The Arabic word ferab fignifies that
falfe appearance, which in the Eaftern countries is
'often feen in fandy plains about noon, refembling
a large lake of water in motion, and is occafioned
by the reverberation of the fun beams : [' by the
quivering undulating motion of that quick facceffion '
of vapours and exhalations, which are extradled by
the powerful influence of the fun.' Shaw, Trav. p.
378.] ' It forralfoies tempts thirfty travellers out of
their

z^6 notes on chap. XXXVj.
their^ay, but deceives them, when they come near,
either going forward, (for it always appears at the
fame diftance,) or quite vanifhes." Q. Curtius has
mentioned it : " A.renas vapor asftivi folis accendit;
*' -^camporumque non alia, quam vafti & profundi
*' sequoris fpecies eft." Lib. vn. cap. 5. Dr. Hyde
gives qg the precife meaning and derivation of the
-word. '¦" Didlum nomen [Barca] npT^n, fplendo
rem, feu fplendentem regionem notat; cum ea regio
radiis folaribus tam copibfe coUuftretur, ut reflexum
ab arenis lumen adeo intenfe fulgens, a longinquo.
fpedlantibus, ad inftar corporis folaris, aquarum.
fpeciem referat; & hinc arenarum fplendor .& radia
tio (eX lingua Perfica petito nomine) dicitur ferab^
i. e. aqu^ fuperficies, feu fuperficialls aquarum fpe
cies." Annot. in Peritfol. cap. ,2.
¦'"Ibid. — fhaU fpring forth — •] The n, in nw»,
feems to have been at firft D in ms. ,BqdL whence
Dr. Kennicott concludes it fliould be CUn'n. But
inftead of this word, Syr. Vulg. and Chald.,- read
fOme word fignifying to grow, fpring up, or abound :
perhaps n:ii3^ or iJt-is ; or "i*2nn Y13j as Houbigant
reads. 8. And a high way] , The word "^mi is by mif
take added to the firft member of the fentence from
the beginning of the following member: fixteen
MSS, (feven Antient,) have it but once ; fo likewife
Syr. Ibid., : — err therein] A ms. adds U, which feems
neceffary to the fenfe : andfo Yulg. per eam.
Ibid. But He fhaU be with them walking^
That is, God; fee ver. 4. " Who' fhalf dweU among
" them, and fet them an example, that they fhould
"follow his, fteps." Our old Englifh verfions
tranflated the place to this purpofe : our laft tranfla
tors were mifled by the authority of the Jews, who
have abfurdly made a divifion of,t^ verfes in the
midft

chap. xxxV-. isaiah.

'^3?

midft of the feritence, thereby deftroying the con
ftrudlion and the fenfe.
9. Neither fhall he be found there] Three msS
read ab^, adding the -conjundlion: and fo "likewife
LXx, and Vulg. And four iviss, (one Antient,)
read N3JDS the verb, as it certainly ought to be, in
the mafculine form.
For further remarks on the two foregoing chap-
.ters, fee De S. Poefi Hebr. Prseledl. xx.

CHA P. XXXVI. ^
The hiftory of the invafion of Senacherib, and
of the miraculous deftrudlion of his army, which
makes the fubjedl of fo many, of Ifaiah's prophe- ,
cies, is very properly inferted here, as affording the
beft light to many parts of thofe prophecies ; and as
almoft neceflary to introduce the prophecy in the
xxxviith chapter, being the anfwer of God to He
zekiah's prayer, which could not be properly under
ftood without it. We find the fame narrative in
the feCond book of Kings, chapters xviii. xix. xx.
and thefe chapters of Ifaiah, xxxvi. xxxviil
xxxvm. xxxix. for much the moft part^ (the ac
count of the ficknefs of Hezekiah only excepted,)
are but a different copy of that narration. The dif7
ference of the two copies is little more than what has
manifeftly arifen from the miftakes of tranfcribers :
tiiey mutually corredl each other, and moft of the
niiftakes maybe perfedlly redlified by a collation of
the two copies, with the affi.ftance of the antient
Verfions. Some few fentences, or members 'of fen
tences, are omitted in this copy of Ifaiah, which
are found in the -other copy in the book of Kings:
v/hethti thefe omiflions -were made by defign or by
,2 ', ' ' miftake.

agS notes on chap, xxxvi.
mifjlake, may be doubted : thefe therefore I have
not irtfertgd in the Tranflation; I fhall only report
-them in die Notes.
3. Then, came oqt unto him] Before thefe words,
the other copy, 2 Kings xvixi. 18, adds ^l* INIpn
T.^!an,- " and they demanded audience of the king."
5. Thou haft faid] Fourteen mss, (three An
tient,) have it in the fecond perfon, niDK ; and. fo
the other copy, 2 Kings xvin. 20.
6. — in Egypt] Ms. Bodl. adds "jVtt, the king of
Egypt : and fo perhaps Chald. might read.
7. But if ye fay], TWo aritient mss have l")D»*n
in the plural number : fo likewife lxx, Chald. and
the other copy, 2 Kings Xvm. 22.
Ibid, only before this altar — ] See 2 Chron.
icxxii. 12. '
12. deftined to eat their own dung] b'yi/h, "that
** they may eat," as our tranflation literally renders
it. But Syr. reads ^DKia, " that they may not eat;'*
perhaps rightly, and afterward mrHfDl, or mniyt, to
the fame purpofe.
17. — and of vineyards] The other copy, 2
Kings xvin. 32. adds here : " a land of oil-olive,
*' and of honey; that ye may live, and not die:
*' and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he feduceth
" you." 19. — of Sepharvaim—] The other copy, a
Kings xvni. 34. adds of " Henah and Ivah."
Ibid.: have they delivered — >] '31, the copulative
is not expreffed here by lxx, Syr. Vulg. and three
Mss,; nor is it in the other copy ; Ibid. Houbigant
reads on, with the interrogative particle : a proba
ble conjedlure, which the antient Verfions, above
quoted, feem to favour.
21. But the people held their peace] The word
?yn, the people, is fupplied from the other copyj
and is. author ized by a ms. which inferts it after "ijTK,
CHAP^

CHAP. XXXVII. ISAIAH.

C H A. P. • XXXVII.

23f

7. I wiU infufe a fpirit into him] " ni^ H ])ra
" never fignifies any thing, but putting a fpirit into
"a perfon; this v^as 'zs-vsvj^a htXtxg." secker.
9. he fent meffengers again] The word VDV),
fand he heard) which occurs the fecond time in this
verfe, is repeated by miftake from th^ beginning, of
the verfe. It is omitted in an antient ms. It is a
mere tautology, and embarraffes the fenfe. The
true reading, inftead of it, is 2^}'^, which the lxx
read in this place, airsgps-^s, and which is preferved
in the other copy : 2 Kings xix. 9. " He returned
" and fent" — that i?, according to the Hebrew idi
om, " he fent again."
14. — and read theni] DK^p'"), fo ms. Bodl. in
this place ; and fo the other copy : inftead of ^n^t^p^,
and read if.
Ibid. — and fpread thern] intyiD"'!, in is upon a
rafure in a ms. ; which probably was at firft D. The
fame miftake as in the foregoing Note.
15. — before jehovah] That is, in the fandlu
ary. For !?ii, Syr. Chald. and the other copy, 2
Kirigs XIX. 15. read '33'?.
18. — thenations — ] n1X"|^*n, the lands; inftead
of this word, which deftroys the fenfe, ten mss,
(one Antient,) have here W^y, nations : which is un
doubtedly the true reading, being preferved alfo in
the other copy, ' 2 Kirigs xix. 17. Another ms.
fuggefts another method of redlifying the fenfe in
this place, by reading DD^D, their king, inftead of
UT^a, their land; but it ought to be onO^D : "all
" the countries and their kings." 20. Save

64a NOTES 0-N CHAP. XXXVII.
20. Save us, we befeech thee — ] The fupplicating
particle KD is fupplied here from eighteen' mss',
(three Antient,} and from the other copy.
Ibid. — that thou jehovah art the only God]
The word D''n^J*, God, is loft here in the Hebrew
text, but preferved in the other copy, 2 Kings xix.
19. Syr. and lxx feem here to have had in their
copies D''n^l<, inftead of nin*-
21. Then Ifaiah fent unto Hezekiah] . Syr. and
txx underftand and render the verb paffively, was
fent. Ibid. — I have heard] Tiyoti', this word, necef
fary to the fenfe, is loft in this place out of the He
brew text. A MS. has it written above the line in a
later hand, lxx and Syr. found it in their copies :
and it is preferved in the other copy, 2 Kirtgs
XIX. 20.
.23. — againft the Holy One of Ifrael] For ^J4,
the other copy has b)f, rather more properly.
24. ¦ By thy mefl'engers-r-] The text has "jniy,
thy fervants : but the true reading feems to bp
^OK'?D, thy meffengers, as in the other copy, 2 Kings
XIX. 23: and as lxx, and Syr. found it in their
copies in this place.
Ibid. — his extreme retreats] The text has ono,
the highth ; which feems to have been taken by mif
take from the line but one above. A ms. has here
Xba, the lodge, or retreat; which is the word in the
other copy, 2 King.s xix. 23 : and I think is the
true reading.
25. — ftrange waters] The word Qn?, firange,
loft out- of the Hebrew text in this place, is fupplied
from the other copy. A ms. fupplies the word D''n,
many, inftead ofit.
Ibid, all the can-als of fenced places] The prin
cipal cities of Egypt, the fcene of his late exploits,
were chiefly defended by deep moats, canals, > or
large

-fcHAP. xxxvil. tS At Afti, £4?
large lakes, made by labour and art, with which they
were furroundedi See Harmer's Obf ii. p. 304.
Claudian introduces Alaric boafting of his conquefts
in the fame extravagant rnanner :
" Subfidere noOris
" Sub pedibus montes ; arefcere vidimus amneS.^-"
" Fregi Alpes, galeifque Padum vi£tricibus haufi."
De Bello Getic. 526..
2,6. warlike nations] cssj G^b^. It is not eafy to
give a fatisfadlory account of thefe two words ; which
¦have greatiy embarafled all the interpreters, antient
and modern. For Qi*?:!, I read b^lj), as the lxx do •
in this place, sGvri. The word CiJi, Vulg. renders in
this place compugnantium ; in the parallel place, 2
Kings XIX. 25. pugnantium, and lxx iJ.ayip.MV,
fighting, warlike. This rendering is as well autho
rized as any other that I know of, and, with the
reading of lxx, perfedlly clears up the conftruc-
tiort. 27. corn blafted] hftltyj it does not appear, thait
there is any good authority for this word. The true
reading feems to be nsity, as it is in four mss, (two
Antient,) here, and in the other Copy.
29. I will put my hook in thy nofe] " Et free-
num meum : Jonathan voeem jfiiD interpretatus eft
jiat, i- e. anrtulum, five uncum, eumque ferreum?-
quem infigunt naribus camelas : eoque trahitur,
quoniam ilia feris motibus agitur : & hoc- eft, quod
difcimus in Talmude ; & camela cum annulo na
rium : fcilicet, egreditur die Sabbathi." Jarchi jn 2
Reg. XIX. 28. " Ponam circulum in naribus tuis.'"
Hieron. Juft as at this day they put a ring into the
nofe of the bear, the buffalo, and other wild beafls,
to lead them, and to govern them when they are
unruly. vol. II. B, 35.

44* NOTES ON CHAP. XXXVU.
35. And the angel — ] Before" the angeV," the
other copy, 2 Kings xix. 35. adds, " it came to
pafs the fame night, that" 
The Prophet Hofea has giveri a plain predidlion
of this miraculous deliverance of the kingdom of
Judah : .
" And to the houfe of Judah I will be tenderly merciful :
"And I will fave them by jehovah their God.
" And I will not fave then] by tbe bow ;
" Nor by fword, nor by battle ;
"By horfes, nor by horfemen." Hqfea i. 7.

CHAP. XXXVIII.
2. Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall]
The furniture of an Eaftern divan, or chamber ei-
tiier for the reception of company, or for private
ufe, confifts chiefly of carpets fpread on the floor in
the middle, and of fophas, or couches, . ranged on
one or more fides of the room, on a part raifed
foiriewhat above the fioor. On thefe they repofe
themfelves in the day, and fleep at night. It is to
be obferved, that the corner of the room is the
place of honour. Dr. Pococke, when he was intro
duced to the Sheik of Fur fhout, found him fitting
in the corner of his room. He defcribes another
Arab Sheik ' as fitting in a corner of a large green
tent, pitched in the middle of an encampment of
Arabs; and the Bey of Girge as placed on a fopha
in a corner to the right as one entered the room.'
"Ilarmer's Obf. n. p. 60. Lady Mary W. Monta
gu, giving an account of a vifit which fhe made to
"the Kahya's lady at Adrianople, fays, " She ordered
" cufhions to be given me, and took care to place'
'•' -me in the corner, which is the place of honour."
z Letter

CHAP. XXXVlll. ISAIAH, 243
Letter xxxm. The reafon of this feems to be,
that the perfon, fo placed, is diftinguifhed, and in
a. manner feparated from the reft of the company,
and as it were guarded by the wall on each fide.
We are to fuppofe Hezekiah's couch placed in the
fame fituation ; in which, turnii;ig on either fide he
muft turn his face to the wall ; by which he would
withdraw himfelf from thofe who were attending'
upon him in his apartment, in Order to addrefs his
private prayer to God.
4, 5. The words in the Tranflation included
within crotchets are fupplied from the paraUel plaCe,
2 Kings XX. 4, 5. to make the narration more per
fedl. I have alfo taken the liberty, with Ploubigant,
of bringing forward the two laft verfes of this chap
ter, and inferting them in their proper places of the
narration with the fame mark. Kimchi's Note on
thefe two verfes is as foUows:' " This and the fol
lowing verfe belong not to the Writing of Heze
kiah ; and I fee no reafon, why they are written here
after the Writirig; for their right place is above,
after And I will proteSl this pity, ver. 6. And fo
they ftand in the book of Kings." 2 Kings xx. 7, 8.
The narration of this chapter feems to be Irt fome
parts an abridgement of that of 2 Kings xX. The
abridger, having finifhed his extradl herewith the
nth verfe, feems to have obferved, that the 7th
and 8th verfes of 2 Kings xx. were wanted to com
plete the narration : he therefore added them at the
end of the chapter, after he had inferted the fong
of Hezekiah, probably with marks for their infertion
in their proper places ; which marks were afterwards
negledled by tranfcribers. Or a tranfcriber might
omit them by miftake, and add them at tiie end of
the chapter with fuch marks. Many tranfpofitions
are, with great probability, to be accounted for in
the fame way. R a 6. 1

a44 NOTES ON CHAP. XXXVfll^
6. I will protedl this City-r-] The other copy,
1 Kings XX. 6.' adds : " for mine owri fake, .and
for the fake of David my fervant :" and the fentence
feems fomewhat abrupt without it.
¦ 8i by which the fun is gbne down—] For t^Dtt'^,
LXX,. Syr. Chald. read t^Dti^n. Houbigant. In the
hiftory of this miracle in the book of Kings, (2
Kings Xxf. 9 — II.) there-is no mention at all made
of the fun, but only of the going backward of the
fhadow : which might be effedled by a fupernatural
fefradlion. The firft 0 rfKtog in this verfe is oinitted
ill LXX MS. Pachom.
9. The writing of Hezekiah.] Here the book of
Kings deferts us, the Song of Hezekiah not being
inferted in it. Another copy of this very obfcure
paflage (obfcure not only from the concife poetical
ftyle, but becaufe it is probably very incorredl,)
would have been of great fervice. The mss and
ancient Verfions, efpecially the latter, will help us
to get through fome of the many difficulties, which
we meet with in it.
II. JEHOVAH — ] n'' n"" feems to be ViWt^ in ms.
Bodl. and it was fo at firft written in another. So
Syr. See Houbigant.
12. — a ffiepherd's tent — ] fyi is put for nyi,
fay the Rabbins ; Sal. b. Melec on the place : but
much more probably is written imperfedlly for Cjn-.
See Note on chap. v. i.
Ibid. My fife is cut off—] '^rnSp, this verb is
rendered paffively, and' in the third perfon, by Syr.
Chald. Vulg.
13. The laft line of the foregoing verfe, ly DV131
'^Tftn^rs rb'b, " In the courfe of the day thou wilt
finifli my web," is not repeated at the end of this
verfe'in the Syriac Verfion ; .and a ms. omits it. It
feems to have been inferted a fecond time in the
Hebrew teKt by miftake. • Ibid.

chap'. XXXVIII. ISAIAH. 245
Ibid. I roared — ] For ijrPW, the Chaldee has
TV'Dn.^ : he read ''^!^^^K^, the' proper term for the roar
ing of a lion ; often applied to the deep groaning of
men in fickneffes: fee Pfalm xxn. 2. xxxn-. 3.
xxxvm. 9. Job 'm. 24. The Maforetes divide
the fentence, as I have done ; taking ni^D, like a
lion, into the firft member ; and fo likewife lxx.
14. Like the fwaUow — ~\ r^DD, fo read two mss, ¦
Theodot. and Hieron.
Ibid, —-mine eyes fail — ] For 1^1, the lxx read
^bs, i^sXiTiov. Compare Pf. lxix. 4. cxix. 82. 123.
Lam. ll. II. IV. 17. in the Hebrew and in lxx.
Ibid. — O Lord — ] For mn*, thirty mss and
.eight Editions read *3nj^.
Ibid, '.—contend thou—] npti^V, with {j^, Jarchi :
this fenfe of the word is eftablifhed by Gen. xxvi.
9.0. " he .called the name of the well pWV, Efek,
becaufe they ftrove with him :" IptyyAl, equivalent
to l^ni at the beginning of the verfe.
15. —will I refledl — ] rma, recogitabo, Vulg.'
reputabo, Hieron. in loc.
16. For this caufe fhall it be declared — ] Tls^i
ccvryjg yap avrjyys}-.yi croi, nai s^riystpag p.6v ryjV "uTVOyiv,
LXX. They read in their copies, wnm "p YirC TtbD
*nn ; not very different from the prefent text, from
which all the antient Verfions vary. They entirely
omit two v/ords pi ^3^1 ; as to which there is fome
variation in the MS s. A ms. has ^Iibl; two others
b2'\, aiid«ten mss have DHZl.
Ibid. — ^haft prolonged my life.] A ms. and the
Babylonifh Talmud read "^''''nrrt ; and fo the antient
Verfions. It muft neceffarily be in the fecond
perfon. 17, My anguifh is changed Into eafe — ] ia 'b "ID,
*' mutata mihi eft amarltudo." Paronomafia ; a fi
gure, which the 'Prophet frequently admits: I do
not always note it, becaufe it cannot ever be pre-
R 3 ferved

S,^6 NOTES ON CHAP. XXXVIII.
ferved in the Tranflation, and the fenfe feldom de
pends upon it. But here it perfedlly clears up the
great obfcurity of the paffage. See Lowth on the
place.
, Ibid. Thou haft refcued — nstyn, with D inftead
of p ; fo LXX and Vulg. Houbigant. See Chappe-
Jow on Job, xxxm. i8.
Ibid. — ^from perdition — "^2 nnWQ, Iva p.ri airo-
T^rjai, LXX ; ut non periret, Vulg. Perhaps invert
ing the order of the words. See Houbigant.
19. — thy truth] "|/1I2J4 ba. A ms. omits ba;
and ir ftead of^i*, an Antient ms. and one Edition
read r\a- The fame miftake as in Pf. n. 7,
21. Let them take a lump of figs: and , they
bruifed them — ] God, in eftedling this miraculous
cure, was pleafed to order the ufe of means not im
proper for- that end. "Folia, &, quae non matu-
ruere, fici, ftrumis iUinuntur, omnibufque quae
emollienda funt difcutiendave." Plin. Nat. Hift.
XXIII. 7. " Ad difcutienda ea, quae in corporis
parte aliqua coierunt, maxime poffunt — ficus arida,"
&c. Celfiis, V. n. f '

CHAP. XXXIX.

Hitherto the copy of this- hiftory in the fecond
book of Kings has been much the moft corredl : in
this chapter that in Ifaiah has the advantage. In the
two firft verfes two miftakes in the other copy are to
be corredled from this : for inpin, Hezekiah, read
pjni, ^nd was recovered; and for yat:?>1, he heard,
read niDti?^"l, he rejoiced.
1 . — and ambaffadors.] The lxx add here xat
•prpsa^iig ; that is, D''DH'7D1, and ambaffadors ; which
word

CHAP. XXXIX. ISAIAH. «47
word feems to be neceffary tothe fenfe, though omitted
in the Hebrew Text both here and in the other copy,
2, Kings XX. 12. For the fubfequent narration re
fers to them all along, " thefe .men, whence came
they?" &c. plainly fuppofing them to have been
perfonally mentioned before. See Houbigant.
6. — to Babylon — ] T]b22, fo two mss, (one
Antient), rightly without doubt, as the other copy,
a Kings xx. 17. has it.
8. And Hezekiah faid — ] The nature of Heze
kiah's crime, and his humiliation on the meafure of
God to him by the Prophet, is more exprefly de
clared by the author of the book of Chronicles ^
" But Hezekiah rendered not again, according to the
benefit done unto him ; for his heart was lifted up ;
therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judafi-
and Jerufalem. Notwithftanding, Hezekiah humbled
himfelf for the pride of his heart, (both he and the
inhabitants of Jerufalem,) fo that the wrath of the
LORD came not upon them in the^ays of Hezekiah.
— ^And Hezekiah profpered in all his works. How-
beit, in the bufinefs of the ambaffadors of the princes
cf Babylon, who fent unto him to inquire of the
wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to
try him, that he might know all that was in his
heart." 2 Chron. xxxn. 25, 26. 30, 31.

R 4 CHAP.

2it3 I^O.TES ON • ' CHAt. X'i&,

CHAP. XL.

The courfe of Prophecies, which follow from
hence to the end of the book, and which taken to
gether conftitute the moft- elegant part of the facred
writings of the Old Teftament ; interfperfed alfo
with many'paffages of the higheft fublimity; was
probably delivered in the later part of the reign of
Hezekiah. The .-Prophet in the foregoing chapter
had delivered a very explicit declaration of the im
pending diffolution of the kindom, and of the,
captivity of the royal houfe of David, and of the.
people, under the kings of Babylon. As the fub
jedl of his fubfequent prophecies was to be chiefly,
of the confolatory kind, he opens them with giving
a promife of the Reftoration of the kingdom, and
the Return of the people from that captivity, by the,
merciful interpofition of God' in their favour. But
the views of the Prophet are not confined to this
event: as the reftoration of the royal family, and
of the tribe of Judah, which would otherwife have
foon become undiftinguifhed, and have been ine-
coverably loft, was neceflar}'-, in the defign and
order of Providence, for > the fulfilling of God's
promifes of eftabliffiing a more glorious and an
everlafting kingdom, under the Meffiah to be born
of the tribe of Judah, and of the family of David ;
the Prophet connedts thefe two events together, and
hardly ever treats of the former without throwing in
fome intimations of the latter; and fometimes is fo
•fully "pofleffed with the glories of the future more
remote kingdom, that he feems to leave the more im-

,CHAP. XL. ISAIAH-
immediate fubjedl of his commiffion, almoft out pf
the queftion.
Indeed this Evangelical fenfe of the Prophecy Is
fo apparent, and ftands forth in fo ftrong a light^
that fome interpreters cannot fee that it has any
other ; and will not allow the prophecy to have any
relation at all "to the Return from the captivity of
Babylon. It may be ufeful therefore to examine
more attentively the train of the Prophet's ideas, and
to confider carefully the images under which he dif-
plays his fubjedl. He hears a Cryer giving orders
by folemn proclamation to prepare the way of the
Lord in the wildernefs ; to remove all -obflrudlions
before jehovah marching through the defert;
through the wild, uninhabited, unpaffable country. ,
The deliverance of God's people from the Babylo-
. nifh captivity is confidered by him as parallel to the
former deliverance of them from the Egyptian bon
dage. God was then reprefented as their King
leading them in perfon through the vaft deferts,
which lay in their way, to the promlfed land of Ca
naan. It is not merely for jehovah himfelf, that
in both cafes the way was to be prepared, and all
obftrucftions to be removed; but for jehovah
marching in perfon at the head of his people. Let
us firft fee, how this idea is purfued by the facred
poets who treat of the -Exodus, which is a favourite
fubjedl with them, and affords great choice of exam
ples; " 'When Ifrael came out of Egypt ;
" The houfe of Jacob, from the barbarous people ;
*• [udah was his fanftuary,
*' Ifrael his dominion." Pf. cxiv. i, 2.
*' jEH-t)VAK his God is with him ;
" And the fhout of a king is among them : ¦
V God brought them out of Egypt ;"  ¦
Numb. XXIII. 21, 22.
" Mak©

SjO NOTES ON CHAP. XL.
" Make a high-way for him that rideth through the de-
" ferts :
*' O God, when thou wentefl forth before thy people ;
*' When thou marchedfl through the wildernefs, i
*' The heavens droppe^ :"  Pf lxvi 1 1. 4, 7.
Let us now fee how Ifaiah treats the fubjedl of the
Return of the people from Babylon ; they were to
march through the wildernefs with jehovah at their
head, who was to lead them, to fmooth the way
before them, and to fupply them with -water in their
thirfty defert; with perpetual allufion to the Exo
dus :
*' Come ye forth from Babylon, flee ye from the land
" ofthe Chaldeans with the voice of joy:
"Publifh ye this, and make it heard ; utter it forth even
•' to the end of the earth :
" Say ye, jehovah hath redeemed his fervant Jacob:
" They thirfled not in the deferts, through which he
" made them go:
" Waters from the rock he caufed to flow for them ;
" Yea he clave the rock, and forth gufhed the waters."
Ch. XLVIU. 20, 21.,
" Remember not the former things ;
*' And the things of antient times regard nots"
(That is, the deliverance from Egypt :)
" Behold, I make a new thing;
** Even now fliall it fpring forth ; will ye not regard it ?
" Yea I will make in the wildernefs a way ;
*' In the defert flreams of water." Ch. xliii. 18, ig.
," But he that trufteth in me fhall inherit the land,
" And fhall poffefs my holy mountain.
" Then will f fay: Caft up, cafl up the cauffey; make
"clear the way ;
" Remove every obflruftion from the road of my peo-
*' pie." Ch. LVII. 13, 14.
" How beautiful appear on the raountains " The

CHAP. XL. ISAIAH. a^t
*' The feet of the joyful meffengers, of him that an-
" nounceth peace ;
" Ofthe joyful meffenger of good tidings, of him that
*' announceth falvation ; ^
" Of him that fayeth to Sion, Thy God reigneth !
" All thy watchmen lift up.their voice, they fhout to-
" gether;
" For face to face fhall they fee, when jehovah re-
" turneth to Sion.
*' "Verily not in hafle fhall ye go forth ;
" And not by flight fhall ye march along :
*' For jehovah fhalf march in your front ;
" And the God of Ifrael fhall bring up your rear."
Ch. Lli. 7,8, 12.
Babylon was feparated from Judea by an immenfe
tradl of country, which was one continued defert ;
that large part of Arabia called very properly De
ferta, It is mentioned in hiftory as a remarkable
occurrence, that Nebuchadnezzer, having received
the news ofthe death of his' father, in order to mak6
the utmoft expedition in his journey to Babylon from
Eg\pt artd Phcenicia, fet out with a few attendants,
and paffed through this defert. Berofus, apud Jo
feph. Antiq. x. n. This was the neareft way home
wards for the Jews ; and whether they adlually re
turned by this way or not, the firft thing that would
occur on the propofal or thought of their return-,
would be the difficulty of this almoft impradlicable
paffage. Accordingly the proclamation for the pre
paration of the way is the moft natural idea, and the
moft obvious circumftance, by which the Prophet
could have opened his fubjedl.
Thefe things confidered, I have not the leaft
doubt that the return of the Jews from the captivity
of Babylon is the firft, though not the principal,
thing in the Prophet's view. The Redemption from
Babylon is clearly foretold ; knd at the fame time is
employed as an image to fhadow out a Redemption of

f^e notes on chap. XL.
.of an infinitely higher and more important nature.
I fhould not have thought it neceffary to employ fo
many words in endeavouring to eftablifh what is
palled the Literal fenfe of this prophecy, which I
think cannot be rightly underftood without it, had
J hot obferved, that' many interpreters of the firft
authority, in particular the very leg.rned Vitringa,
|iave ^excluded it entirely.
Yet obvious and plain as I think this fiteral fenfe
is, we have neverthelefs the irrefragaMe authority of
John the Baptift, and of our bleffed Saviour
himfelf, as recorded by all the Evangelifts, for
explaining this Exordium of the .prophecy of
^he opening of the Gofpel by the preaching of
John, and of the introducing of thg kingdom of
Meffiah ; who was to effedl a much greater deli
verance of the people of -God, Gentiles as well as
Jews, from the captivity of fin and the domipiqn of -
death. And this we' ffiall find to be the cafe in ma
ny fubfequent parts alfo of this Prophecy, where
paffages manifeftly relating to the defiverance qf the
Jewifh nation, effedled by Gyrus, g,re with good
reafon, .and upon undoubted authority, to be un
derftood of the redemption wrought for mankind by
Chrift. If the Literal fenfe of this prophecy, as above ex-r
plained, cannot be queftioned, much lefs furely can
-the Spiritual; which, I think, is allowed on all
hands, even by Grotius himfelf If both are to be
admitted, here is a plain example of the Myftical
allegory, or doulple fenfe, as it is commonly called,
of prophecy ; which the facred Writers of the New
Teftament clearly fuppofe, and according to which
they frequently fraiiie their interpretation of paffages
of the Old Teftament. Of the foundation, and pro
perties of this fort of Allegory, fee De S. Poef Hebr.
Praeledl. xi.
'-' ¦ 2. Blef-»

CHAP. XL. ISAI AH. 2j^
2. Bleffings double to the puniffiinent] It dqe^
not feem reconcileable to our notions of the divinp
juftice, which alvsrays puniffies lefs than our iniquities
deferve, to fuppofe, that God had puniffied the fins
of the Jews in double proportion : and it is more
agreeable to the tenor of this confolatory meffage to
underftand it as a promife of ample recompence for
tiie effedls of paft difpleafure, on the reconciliation
of God to his returning people. To exprefs, this
fenfe of the paffage, which the words of the original
will very -weU bear, it was neceffary to add a word
or two in the verfion to, fupply the elliptical expref
fion of the Flebrew. Compare chap. lxi. 7. Job
XLII. 10. Zech. IX. 12. nXZOn fignifies puniffiment
for fin. Lam. ni. 39. Zech. xiv. 19.
3. A voice crieth : In the wildernefs — ] The idea
is. taken from the pradlice of eaftern monarchs, who,
whenever they entered upon an expedition, or took
a journey, efpecially through defert and unpradliced
countries, fent harbingers before them to prepare
all things fbr their paffage, and pioneer^ to open the
paffes, to level the ways, and to remove all impedi-
' ments. The officers appointed to fuperintend fuch
preparations the Latins call Stratores. " Ipfe (Jo-
hanrtes' Baptifta) fe ftratprem vocat Meffise, cujus
effet alta & elata voce homines in defertis locis habi
tantes ad itinera & vias Regi mox venturo fternendas
& reficiendas hortari." Moffieim, Inftituta Majora,
Diodorus's account of Semiramis s marches into
Media and Perfia will give us a clear notion of the
preparation ofthe way for a royal expedition : " In
her march to Ecbatane ffie came to the ,Zarcean
mountain; which extending many furlongs, and
being full of craggy precipices and deep hollows,
could not be paffed without taking a great compafs
about. Being therefore defirous of leaving an ever-
7 lafting

B^4 NOTES ON CHAP. XL.
lafting, memorial of herfelf, as well as of ffiortening
the way, ffie ordered - the precipices to be digged
down, and the hoUows to be fiUtd up ; and at a
great expertce ffie made a ffiortef and more expedi
tious road, which to this day is called frOm her the
road of Semiramis. Afterward ffie went into Perfia,
and all the other countries of Afia fubjedl to her do
minion; and wherever ffie went, ffie ordered the
mountains and precipices to be levelled, raifed
cauffeys in the plain Country, and at a great expence
made the ways paffable." Diod. Sic. Lib. ii.
The writer of the Apocryphal book called Baruch,
expreffes the fame fubjedl by the fame images ; ei
ther taking them from this place of Ifaiah, or from
the common notions of his countrymen : ' ' For God
*' hath appointed, that-dvery -high hill, and banks
*' of long continuance, ffiould be caft down, and
*' vallies filled up, to make even the ground, that
*' Ifrael may go fafely in the glory of God." Chap.
The Jewiffi church to which John was fent to an^
nounce the coming of Meffiah, was at that time in
a barren and defert condition, unfir without re
formation for the reception of her king. It was in
this defert country, deftitute at that tiine of all reli
gious cultivation, in true piety and good works un
fruitful, that John was fent to prepare the way of
the Lord by preaching repentance. I have diftin
guiffied the parts of the fentence according to the
pundluation of the Maforetes, which agrees beft
both with the literal and the fpiritual fenfe ; which
the conftrudlion and parallelifm of the diftich in the
Hebrew plainly favours ; , and of which the Greek of
the LXX and of' the Evangelifts is equally fufcep
tible. John was born in the defert of judea, and paffed
his whole life in it, tiU the time of his being mani fefted

CHAP. XL. ISAIAH. ^55
fefted to Ifrael. He preiached in the fame defert: it
was a mountainous country ; however not, intirely
and properly a defert, for, though lefs cultivated
than other parts of Judea, yet it was not uninha
bited; Jofhua (ch. XV. 6i, 62.) reckons fix cities
in it. We are fo prepoffeffed with the idea of
John's living and preaching in the defert, that we
are apt to confider this particular fcene of his
preaching as a very important and effential part of
hiftory : whereas I apprehend this circumft3.nce -to
be no otherwife important, than as giving us a
ftrong idea of the rough charadler of the man,
which was anfwerable to the place of his education ;
and as affording a proper emblem of the rude ftate
of the Jewiffi church at that time; which was the
true wildernefs meant by the Prophet, in which
John was to prepare the way for the coming of the
Meffiah. 4. The word 2py is very generally rendered crook
ed: but this fenfe ofthe word feems not to be fup
ported by any good authority. Ludolphus, Comr
ment. ad Hift. ^thiop. p. 206. fays, that in the
^Ethiopic language it fignifies clivus, locus editus:
and fb the Syriac Verfion renders it in this place :
Naiy, Heb. nO"iy, tumulus, acervtis. Thus fke pa
rallelifm would be more perfedl: "the hilly country
ffiall be made level, and the precipices a fmooth
plain." 5. — the falvation of our God] Thefe words- are
added here by lxx : ro o-cnrjpiov rov &sov, ny)V r\a
I3\nbi*,'as it is in the parallel place, Chap. Lir. 10.
The fentence is abrupt without it, the verb wanting
its objedl ; and I think it is genuine. Our Engliffi
tranflation has fupplied the word it, which is equi
valent to this addition from lxx.
This omiffion in the Hebrew text is antient, being
prior to the Chaldee, Syriac, and Vulgate Verfions :
but

'notes on, fcHAP. Xt'i
t>ut .the words ftaiid in all the copies of the lxx 5
fard they are acknowleged by Luke, in. 6.
6. its glory—] For TIDH, read ttn ; lxX, and
Vulg. and 1 Pet. i^ 14.
7. this people—^] So Syt. who perhaps read
ntnoyn. . , _
6-— 8. A voice fayeth. Proclaim — ] To under
ftand rightly this paflage is a matter of impojtance i
for It feems defigned to give us the. true' key to the
i-emainlng part of Ifaiah's prophecies: the general
fubjedl of which is the Reftoration ofthe people and
thurch of God. The Prophet opens the fubjedl
with great clearnefs - and elegance: he declares at
once God's command to his meffengers, (his pro-^
phets, as the Chaldee rightly explains it,) to com
fort his people in captivity, to impart to them the
joyful tidings, that their puniffiment has now fatis
fied, the Divine juftice, and the time of reconcilia
tion and favour is at hand. He then introduces a
harbinger giving orders to prepare the way for God,
leading his people from Babylouj as he did formerly
from Egypt, through the wildernefs ; to remove all
obftacles, and to clear the way for their paffage.
Thus far nothing more appears to be intended than
a return from the Babyloniffi captivity : but the next
words feem to intimate fomething much greater :
" And the glory of jehovah fhall be revealed ;
" And all flefh fnall fee together the falvation of our
" God."
He" then introduces a voice commanding him to
make a folemn proclamation. And- what is the im
port of it ? that the people, the fleffi, is of a vain
temporary nature ; that all its glory fadeth, and is
foon gone : but that the word of God endureth for
ever. What is this, but a plain oppofition of the
fleffi to the fpirit; ofthe carnal Ifrael to the fpiri-, tual;

GHAP. XL. ISAIAH. ^57
tual; of the temporary Mofaic oeconomy to the
eternal Chriftian difpenfation ? You may be ready
to conclude, (the prophet may be fuppofed to fay,)
by this introdudlion to my difcourfe, that my com-'
miffion is only to comfort you with a promife of the
reftoration of your religion and polity, of Jerufalem,
of the Temple, and its fervices and worffiip in all
its antient fplendor : thefe are earthly, temporary,
ffiadowy, fading things, which ffiall foort pafs away,
and be deftroyed for ever ; thefe are not worthy to
engage your attention In comparifon of the greater
bleffings, the fpiritual redemption, the eternal in
heritance, covered under the veil of the former,
which I have It in charge to unfold unto you. The
Law has only a ffiadow of good things ; the fub
ftance is in the Gofpel. I promife you a reftoration
of the former ; which, however, is only for a time,
and ffiall be done away, according to God's origi
nal appointment : but under that image I give you
a view of the latter ; which ffiall never be done .
away, but ftall endure for ever. This I take to be
agreeable to St. Peter's interpretation of this paflage'
of the Prophet, quoted by him i Pet. i. 24, 25.
" All fleffi Is as grafs, and all the glory of man as
*' the flower of grafs. The grafs withereth, and the
" flower thereof falleth away : but the word of the
" Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word
*' which by the gofpel is preached unto you." This
is the fame ,word of the Lord of which Ifaiah fpeaks,
which hath now been preached unto you by the
Gofpel. The Law and the Gofpel are frequentiy
oppofed to one another by St. Paul under the
images of fleffi and fpirit: " Having begun In the
" fpirit, are ye now made perfedl by the fleffi ?
Gal. in. 3.
7. When the wind; of jehovah — ] TKV nil, a
wind of jehovah,' is a Hebraifm, meaning no more
vol. n. s than

a.5,S N0;TES ON ' C-HAP. XL*
than a ftrong wind. It is well known, that a hofi
wind in the Eaft deftroys at once every green thing,.
Compare Pf. cni.. i6.. Two mss omit the word
mn'', JEHOVAH.
9. O daughter that bringeft glad tidings] Tha£
the true conftrudlion of the fentence is this, whicfi
ma%es Sion the receiver not the publiffier of the
glad tidings, (which latter has been, the moft pre-
•vailing interpretation,) will, I think, very clearly
appear, if we righdy confider the image itfelf, and
the cuftom and common pradlice from which it Is.
taken. I , have added the word daughter to exprefs;
the feminine gender of the Hebrew participle, which,
I know not otherwife how to do,. In our language :
and this is abfolutely neceffary in order to afcertain:
the Image. For the office of announcing and cele
brating fuch glad, tidings, as are here fpoken of,,
belonged peculiarly to the women. On occafion of
any great public fuccefs, a fignal vidlory, ox any
Other joyful event, it was ufual for the women ta
-gather together, and with mufic,. dances, and fongs^
to publiffi and celebrate the- happy news. Thus af
ter the paffage ofthe Red Sea, Miriam, and all the
v.'omen, wirh timbrels In their hands, formed a cho
rus, and joined the men in their triumphant fong,.
dancing, and throwing In alternately the refrain or
Burthen of the fong :

. tj '

. " Sing ye to jehovah, for he i-s greatly exadted ;
^ ** The horfe and his rider hath he call into the fea.""
f:-xod. XV. 20, 21",
S-o Jephthah's daughter coUedled a chorus of virgins,.!
a'nd with dances and fon^ came out to meet her fa
ther, and to celebrate his vidlory. Jud. xi. 34.
After David's conqueft of Goliah, " all the women..
came o'ut-of the cities oflfraei finging and dancing"
iSa meet' Saul,, with tabrets, with joy, and with in
ftruments

tlHAP. XL. ISAIAH. a^g
ilrument? of mufic ;" and forming themfelves mto
two choruffes they fung alternately :
" Saul has flain his thoufands :
*' And David his ten thoufands.'' i Sam. xviii. 6, 7.
And this gives us the true fenfe of apaffage in the
Lxvinth Pfalm, which has been frequently mifun
derftood :
" JEHOVAH gave the word ; (that is, the joyful news ;)
" The women, who publifhed tidings, were a great
" company;
" The kings of mighty armies did flee, did flee ;
" And even the matron, who ffaid at liome, fhared the
" fpoil."
The word fignifylng the publifhers of glad tidings is
the fame, and expreffed in the fame form bythe
feminine participle, as in this place ; and the laft
diftich Is the fong which they fung. So in this
place, JEHOVAH having given the word by his.
Prophet, the joyful tidings of the Reftoration of
Sion, and of God's returning to Jerufalem, (fee
chap. xn. 8.) the women are exhorted by the Pro
phet to pubfiffi the joyful news with a loud voice
from eminences, whence they might beft be heard
all over the country : and the matter and burthen
of their fong was to be, " Behold your God !"
10. — his reward, , and the recompenfe" of his
work] That i§, the reward and the recompenfe,
which he beftows, and which he will pay to, his
faithful fervants : this he has ready at hand with
him, and holds It out before him, to encourage,
thofe who truft In him, , and wait for him.
'11. The nurfing ewes ffiall be gently lead] A
beautifufimage, expreffing, with the utmoft pro
priety as well as elegance, the tender attention of
the fhepherd to his flock. That the greateft care in
driving the cattle in regard to the dams and their
s 2 ' young

a6o NOTES ON CHAP. XL.
yoimg was neceffary, appears clearly firom Jacob's
apology to his brother Efau, Gen. xxxin. 13,
*' The flocks and the herds giving fuck to their
young are with me ; and if they ffiould be over-
, driven, all the flock will die." Which is fet in a
ftill ftronger light by the following remark of Sir
John Chardin : " Their flocks, (fays he, fpeaking
of thofe who now live in the Eaft after the Patriar
chal manner,) feed down the places' of their en-
,campments fo quick, by the great numbers that
they have, that they are obliged to remove them
top often ; which is very deftrudllve to their flocks
on account of the young ones, who have not
ftrength enough to follow." Harmer's Obf. i.
p. 1 16.
16. And Lebanon, is not fufficient—] The
Image is beautiful and uncommon ; It has been.
imitated by an. Apocryphal Writer, who however
comes far fliOrt of the original :
"For all facrifice is too little for a fweet favour unto
"thee;
•* Andall the fat is not fufficient for thy burnt-offer-
" ing." Judith xvi. 16.
19. —-and forgeth—] For :)"T)2t, the participle,
twenty-feven mss, (five Antient,) and. three Edi
tions, read vp'H, praet. 3d perfon.
21. — underftood it from the foundation — ^] The
true reading feems to be nnoiDD, to anfwer to t^KID
in the foregoing line. It follows a word ending with
O ; and out of three mems concurring, it was an eafy
miftake to drop the middle one.
22. — as a thin veil] " It is ufual In the fum
mer feafon, and upon all occafions, when a large
company is tobe received, to have the court fliel-
tared from heat, or inclemency of the weather, by ,
a ¦velum, umbrella, or veil, as I ffiall call it ; which,
being expanded on ropes from one fide ofthe para-,. pet-

CHAP. XL. ISAIAH. . a6'l
pet-wall to the other, may be folded or unfolded at
pleafure. The Pfalmift feems to allude to fome
covering of this kind In that beautiful expreffion of
fpreading out the heavens like a curtain." Shaw,
"Trav. p. 274.
24. If he but blow, upon them] The lxx, Syr.
Vulg. and ms. Bodl. and anotiier, have Da without
the conjundlion V
a8. And that his underftanding — ~\. Twenty-four
MSS, two Editions, lxx, and Vulg. read ^••KI, with
the conjundlion V
31. They ffiallput forth freffi feathers.] It has
been a common and popular opinion, that the eaglq
lives and retains his vigour to a great age ; and that,
beyond the common lot of other birds, he moults
in his old age, and renews his feathers, and with
them his youth. ." Thou ffialt renew thy youth
like the eagle," fays the Pfalmift, cm. 5. on which
place St. Ambrofe notes, " Aquila longam aetatem
ducit, dum, vetuftis plumis fatifcentibus, nova pen
narum fucceffione juvenefcit." Phile, De Anima-
fibus, treating of the eagle, and addreffing himfelf
to the Emperor Michael Palaeologus junior, raifes
his compliment upon the fame notion :
Tovrov (TV, (iao'iXsv, rov rffoKvv ^oooig (3iov,
Ast Viovpyoov, xui 'xpaTVjVX'V rryv (pva-tv.
Long mayft thou live, O king ; flill like the eagle
Renew thy youth and ftill retain thy vigour.
To this many fabulous and abfurd circumftances
are added by feveral antient writers and commen
tators on Scripture: fee Bochart, Hieroz. 11. 2. i.
Whether the ' notion of the eagle's renewuig his
youth is in any degree well founded or not, I nepd
not inquire ; it Is enough for a poet, whether pro
fane or facred, to haye the authority of pooular
s 3 opinion.

a6a Notes on chap, xi;
.opinion to fupport an image introduced for iUuftra
tion or ornament.

CHAP. XLI.

1. • — repair to me with new fentiments] 'Eyxai-
Vi^sa-Ss, LXX ; for llt'^'nnn, be filent, they certainly
read In their copy ')ty''^^n, be renewed; which is pa
rallel and fynonymous with nD IB^^nS recover^ their
ftrength: that is, their ftrength of mind, their
powers of reafon ; that they may overCoriie thofe
prejudices, by which they have been fo long held
enflaved to idolatry. A Ms^ has •nn upon a rafure.'
Thq fame miftake feems to have been made In this
^ord, Zephan. in. 17. For imnm twnn'', '¦^ filebit
in diledllone fua," as the Vulgate renders it ; which
feems not confiftent ^ith what immediately follows,
" exultabit fuper te In laude ;" lxx i.nd Syr. read
irQni^l ti'nn'', " renovabitur in amore fuo."
2. — the righteous man.] The Chald. and Vulg.
feem to have read pinS- ..But Jerom, though his
tranflation hah juftum, appears to have read pl2J ; for
in his Comment he expreffes It hy jufium, five jufti-
tiam. However, I think ' all Interpreters underftand
it of a. perfon. So the lxx, Injvts Pachom. s-xa.'hsa-sv
(xvrov, but the other copies have avrviV. They, ard
divided In afcertaining this perfon : fome explain it
of Abraham; others of Cyrus. ': P rather think, that
the former Is m.eant : becaufe the charadler of the
righteous man, or righteoufnefs, agrees better with
Abraham than with Cyrus. Befides, immediately
after the defcription of the fuccefs, given by God to
.Abraham, and his pofterity, (who, I prefume, are to

CHAP. XLI, ISAIAH. ' ^t^
>¦'**¦"¦ . - *¦
to be taken into the account,) the idolaters are in
troduced as greatly alarmed at this event. Abra
ham-was called out of the Eaft; and his pofterity
were introduced Into the land ,of Canaan, in order
to deftroy the Idolaters of that country; and they
were eftabliffied th6re, on purpofe to ftand as a bar
rier againft idolatry, then prevailing, and threaten
ing to overrun the whole face of the earth, Cyrus,
though not properly an Idolater, or worffiiper of
images, yet, had nothing in his charadler to caufe
fuch an alarm among the idolaters, ver. 5 — 7. Fuxr-
ther, after having juft touched upon that circum
ftance, the Prophet -with great eafe returns to lus
former fubjedl, and refumes Abraham and the If
raelites^; and afllires them, that as God had called^
them, and chofen them for this purpofe, . he would
uphold and fupport' them to the utmoft, and at
length give them vidlory over all the heathen na
tions, their enemies ; ver 8 — 16,
Ibid, —made them like the duft — -] The image
is ftrong and beautiful : it is often made ufe of by
the facred Poets; fee Pf. i. 4. xxxv. 5. Job xxi.
18. and by Ifaiah himfelf 'in other places, chap.
xvn. 13. XXIX. 5. But there is great difficulty in
making out the confh-udtlon. The lxx read DFWp,
Oi^n, their fivord, their bow, underftanding it of
the fword and bow of the conquered kings : but this
is not fo agreeable to the analogy of the' image, as
employed in other places. The Chaldee Paraphraft
and Kimchi folve the difficulty by fuppofing an El
lipfis of 'B^ before thofe words. It muft be 'owned,
that the Ellipfis is hard and unufual : but I choofe
rather to fubmit to this, than, by adhering with Vi
tringa to the more obvious conftrudlion, to deftroy
intirely both the image and the fenfe. But the Nxff-
patehy gladio eius, and arcui ejus, feems to exprefs
Xnrb and ^Pii^b ; the admiffion of which reading
s 4 may

a'64 ' NOTES ON CHAP. XLI.
may perhaps be thought preferable to Kimchi's El
lipfis. 3. — he paffeth In fafety] The prepofition feems
to have been omitted in the text by miftake : lxx
and Vulg- feem to have had it in their copies : sv si-
pr,v>t, in pace, ^)t)2- ' ¦ ..
4. — and 'made thefe things] A word is here loft
out ofthe Text. It is fupplied by an Antient ms.,
tha, thefe things; and, by lxx, ravra; and by
Vulg. hac ; and by Chaid. )^'7K.
5. — and they were terrified] -Three mss have
ITin'''), ¦ adding the conjundlion *), which reftores the
fecond member of the fentence to its true poetical
form.' 7. ^that it ffiall not move.] Five mss, (two
Antient,) and the antient Verfions, add the con
jundlion ¦), reading K^l; which feems to be right.
9. — from the extremities thereof] n^b''iJ«D : ^''lil^
fignifies the arm", axilla, ala ; and Is ufed like 5]33,'
the' wing, fbr any thing extended from the extremity
of another, or joined on to it. It is here parallel
and fynonymous to m^pD, from the ends, in the pre
ceding meniber.
15. — a threffiing wain,— a corn-drag] 'See
Note on Chap, xxviii. 27, 28.
' 19. In the wildernefs, I will give the cedar]
The two preceding verfes exprefs .God's mercy to
them in their paflage through the dry deferts, in
fupplying them with abundant water, when dlf-
trelfed with thirft, in aUufion to the Exodus : this
verfe expreffes the relief afforded to them, fainting
with heat in their journey through that hot country,
deftitute of ffielter, by caufing ffiady trees, and
thofe of the talleft and moft beautiful kinds, to
fpring up for their defence. The Apocryphal Ba
ruch, fpeaking of the return from Babylon, ex
preffes God's protedlion of his people by the fame
image:

CHAP. xli. ISAIAH. 4l6^
image : " Even the woods and every fweet-fmeUing
tree ffiall overffiadow Ifrael by the commandment of
God." Chap. V. 8.
20. — and may confider — ] The verb ia"'ty*,
without 1^ added, cannot fignify to apply the heart,
or to attend to a thing, as Houbigant has obferved ;
he therefore reads ^'av, they ffiaU wonder. The
conjedlure is ingenious : but it is much more proba
ble -that the word 2^ is loft out of the Text; for all
the antient Verfions render the phrafe to the fame
fenfe, as If it were fully expreffed, 3^ ID^ty ; and
the Chaldee renders it paraphraftically, yet ftill re
taining the very words in his paraphrafe, ^/i'?ni JIIW
pn-lb bv, " tit ponant timOrem meum in corde fuo."
See alfo ver. 22. where the fame phrafe is ufed. ,
21. Produce thefe your mighty powers] " Ac-
cedant, inquit, idola veftra, quae putatis efle fortif
fima." , Hieron. Com. in loc. I prefer this to all
other interpretations of this place, , and to Jerom's
own tranflation of It, which he adds immediately
after. " Afferte, fi quid forte habetis." The falfe
gods are called upon to come forth, and appeal: in
perfon ; and to give evident demonftration of their
foreknowlege and power, by foretelling future
events, and exerting their power in doing good or
evU. 23. — and terror] The -word Klil is written im
perfedlly in the Hebrew Text : the Maforetes fupply
n at the end; and fo It is read in twenty-two mss,
and four Editions :¦ that is nK^Dl, and we ffiaU fee.
But the true reading feems to be KT31, and we ffiall
fear, with,* fupplied, from J<T. ^
24. — than nought] For ySND, read D3KD; fo
Chald. and Vulg. A manifeft error of the Text ;
compare chap. xl. 17. The Rabbins acknowlege
no fuch error: but fay, that the form.er word figni-
2 fies

tt66 jfOTES ON CHAP. XLI.
fies the fame with the latter, by a change ofthe two
letters v and y. S. ben Melech in loc.
25. —he fhall trample—-] For xn% Le Clerc
reads 02^, from ,the Chaldee, who' feerns to read
both v/ords. " Forte legend. D2% vel DnTl : fe
quitur D.'^ SECKER. See Nahum in. 14.
27. I firft to Sion — ] This verfe , is fomewhat
obfcure' by the tranfpofition of the parts ofthe fen
tence, 'and the peculiar manner, in -vvhich it Is divi
ded into two parallel lines. The verb at the end of
the fentence belongs to both parts ; and the phrafe,
Behold, they are here! Is parallel to the meffenger of
glad tidinp ; and ftands, like it, as the accufative
cafe to tlie verb. The following paraphrafe will ex
plain the form and the fenfe ofit. " I firfl, by my
Prophets, give notice of .thefe events, faying: Be
hold, they are at hand! and I give to Jerufalem a
melfeRger of glad tidings."
28. And among.the idols — ~\ For n^i^DI, I read
t3h:^y\, with the lxx, xai auo rouv h^mXccv. See
XV. ir. If. LVII. 5.

CHAP.

CHAP. XLII. ISAIAH. 167

CHAP, XLIL

The Prophet, having opened Jiis fubjedl with
the- preparation for the Return from captivity at Ba
bylon, and Intimated that a much greater deliver
ance was covered under the veil of that event ; pro
ceeded to vindicate the power of God, as Creator
and. difpofer of all things ; and his infinite know
ledge, from' his predidlion of future events, and in
particular qf that deliverance : he went ftill further,
¦and pointed out the Inftrument by which he ffiould
effedl the redemption of his people the Jews frbm
flavery, namely, a great Conqueror, whom he
would call forth from the North and the Eaft to
execute his orders. In this chapter he proceeds to
the greater deliverance ; and at once brings forth
into full view, without throwing any veil of allegory
over, the fubjedl, the Meffiah. " Behold, my fer
vant, Meffiah," fays the Chaldee. St. Matthew
has applied It direftly to Chrift,; nor can, it with
any juftifce Or propriety be applied'to any other per
fon or charadler whatever.
I.' And fie ffiall publiffi judgement] Four mss,
(two Antient,) add the conjundlion, aiDK?Dl. See
Matt. xn. 18.
The word- ViWO, judgement, like npl'i, righteouf
nefs, , is taken in a great latitude of fignification. It
means rule, form, order, model, plan; rule of right,
or of religion; an ordinance, inftitutlon; judicial
procefs^ caufe, trial, fentence, condemnation, ac
quittal, deliverance, mercy, &c. It certainly means in

268 NOTES ON CHAP. XLII.
in this place the Law to b& publiffied by Meffiah ;
the inftitutlon of the Gofpeh
4. His force ffiall not be abated nor broken]
*' Rabbi Meir Ita citat locum iftum, ut poft Y'^T*
addat ini3, robur ejus, quod hodie non comparet in
Textu Hebraeo, fed addendmn videtur, ut fenfus
fiat planior." Capell. Crit. Sac. p. 3^2. For which
reafon I had added it in the Tranflation, before I
obferved this remark of Capellus.
6. — a covenant to the people] For VSH, two mss
read oVlJ?, the covenant of the age to come, or the
everlafting covenant : which feems to give a, clearer
and better fenfe.
7. To . open ' the eyes of the blind—]. In this
verfe the Prophet feems to fet forth the fpiritual re
demption, under images borrowed from the tempo
ral deliverance.
Ibid. ¦ — and from the dungeon — ] The lxx,
Syr. and four mss, (one Antient,) add the Con
jundlion 1, n^nat
10. Ye that go down Upon the fea] This feems
not to belong to this place : it does not well confift
with what follows : " and the fuUnefs thereof." They
that go down upon the fea, means navigators, fai-'
lors, traders, fucfi as do bufinefs in great waters :
an idea much too - confined for the Prophet, who
means the fea in general ; as It is ufed by the He
brews, for the diftant nations, the Iflands, the dwel
lers on the fea-coafts all over the world. T fufpedl
that fome tranfcriber had the 23d verfe of Pf. evii.
running in his head, nV2^«l Cn mV ; and wrote in
this place D>n nnv inftead of DH ?:l?^S or yns or
pi ; " let the fea roar, or ffiout, or exult." But as
this is fo different in appearance from the prefent
reading, I do not take the liberty of introducing it
into the Tranflation. " Conjeceram legendum iTJ',
ut ver. 12; fed non favent Verfiones." secker. II. Let

CHAP. XLII. ISAIAH. 269
II. Let the defert — ] The moft uncultivated
countries, and the moft rude and uncivilized peo
ple, ffiall confefs , and celebrate with thankfgiving
the bleffing of the knowlege of God gracioufly im
parted to them. By the defert Is meant Arabia
Deferta ; by the rocky country, Arabia Petraea, ; by
the mountains, probably thofe celebrated ones Pa-
ran, Horeb, Sinai, in the fame country ; to which
alfo belonged Kedar, a clan of Arabians, dwelling
for the moft part in tents : but there were others of
them, who inhabited or frequented cities and vil
lages, as may be colledled from this place of the
Prophet. Pietro della Valle, fpeaking of the peo
ple of Arabia Deferta, fays, " thefe is a fort of
Arabs of that country called Maedi, who with their
herds, of buffaloes for the moft part, fometimes
live in the deferts, and fometiines in cities ; frora
, whence they have their name,. 'which fignifies wan
dering, going from place to place ; they have no
profeft houfes: nor are they probably Bedaui, or
Beduui, that Is, DeferticoU, who are the moft noble
among them, and never abide within walls, but al
ways go wandering through the open country with
their black tents ; nor are they properly Hhadefi, as
they call thofe who dwell in cities, and lands with
fixed houfes ; thefe by the latter are efteemed Ig
noble and bafe; but by both are confidered as of
low condition." Viaggi Parte in. Lett. 11.
14. ffiall I keep ffience for ever ?] After ubViS,
in the copy, which the lxx had before them, fol
lowed the word n\bvbT\, s<rioo7rr,a-x air aivvog' ^ri xai .
asi a-ioc7ryi<roiJ.ai ; according to mss Pachom. and' i D.
n. and Edition Complut. which word dIpIJ?^ has
been omitted in the Text by an eafy miflake of a
'tranfcriber, becaufe of the fimilitude of the word
preceding. , 15. —dry

S70 notes on CHAP. XLlt.
15. — dry deferts] Inftead of D^^K, iflands, read
0'>''j{ ; a very probable conjedlure of Houbigant.
16. And through paths — ] , The lxx, Sjr. Vulg.
and nine mss, (two Antient,) read miTl^nV
Ibid. — will I do for them] Dn'^li^y, . this word-;fo
written, as it Is in the Text, means. Thou wilt do,
in the Second perfon : the Maforetes have Indeed
pointed it for the Firft perfon ; but the t In' the laft
fyUable is abfolutely neceffary to diftingulffi the
Firft perfon; and fo it is written in forty mss,
r^^irw- ...
Jarchi, Kimchi, Sal. b. Melech, &c. agree, that
the paft time is here put for the future, 'JT'tt^y,
for nti^yN ; and indeed the context neceffarily re
quires ihat interpretation. Further, It is to be ob-'
ferved, that DWa^y is for nn'? TW)}, I have done
then, for I have -done for them; as ''JiT'tify is for
"h Wtyy,' I have made myfelf, for I have made for my-
flf; Ezek. xxix. 3. and in the celebrated paffage,
of Jephthah'? , Vow, Judges xi. 31. nbiy •in''n'''?ym,
for nbiy "h "^rhVT^, I zvUl offer him a burnt off'tring,
for I zvill offer unto him (that is, unto jehovah) a
burnt offering; by an ellipfis of the. prepofition, of
which ^Buxtorf gives many other examples, Thef,
Grammat. lib. n. 17. See alfo Note on Chap.
LXV. 5. A late happy application of this gramma
tical remark to that mucli difputed. paffage has per-;
fedlly cleared up a difficulty, which for two thou
fand years had puzzled all the tranflators and expo
fitors, had given occafion to differtations without
number, and caufed endlefs difputes aniong the-
learned, on the queftion, whether Jephthah facri
ficed his daughter, or not : In which both parties
have been equally ignorant of the meaning of the
place, of the ftate of the fadl, and of the very terms
of the Vow : which now at laft has been cleared up
beyond aU doubt by -jny very learned Friend Dr.
Ran-

CHAP. XLII. ISA.IAH. S^E
Randolph, -Margaret Profeffor , of -Divinity In the
Univerfity of Oxford, in his Sermon on Jephthalf.'j
Vow: Oxford, 1766. -^-.-j
7-19. — as he,';to:whom I have fent my .meffen-
.gers.] nbt^^^4 '»DK^D3, " ut ad quem nuncios meos
mifi." Vu|g. Chald. almoft' the only interpreters
who render it rightly, in confiftence with the reft of
the fentence, and in perfedl agreement with the
Hebrew Idiom ; according to which the Ellipfis is to
be thus fupplied, rbz^a ot*ba '-wab2. . ' , .
Ibid. — as he that is perfedlly inftrudled] See
Note on chap. xliv. 2.
Ibid. And deaf as the fervarit of jehotah] For
"liyi, and blind, we muft read iyini, and deaf: >cw(pof,
'Symmachus; and fo ms. The miftake is palpable,
and the corredlion felf-evidertt ; and admiffible,
though there had been no authority for it.
20. Thou hail feen indeed]- The Text has rvai
n)2'), which the Mafotetes In the marginal Keri
have corredled to n"l2"1 mjn ; as indeed a hundred
and feven MSS, and five Editions, now have it in
the Text. , This was probably the reading of moft of
the MSS in their time ; which, though they approved
ofit, out of fome fuperftition, tliey would not admit
into their ftandard Text. But thefe v.TetcIied cri
tics, though they perceived there was fome ' fault,
yet did not know v^'here the fault lay,- nor confe
quently how to amend it; and yet it was open
enough 'to a judicious eye: " 1^21, fic Veteres; &
tamen forte legendum, mm: vide Cap. vi. 9.'*
SECKER. That is, mm jTKn. I believe no one
will doubt of admitting this as the true reading.
• Ibid. — vet thou vdilt not hear] For yiDU;\ read
Vi2'itn, in the fecond perfon : fo all the antient' Ver-
jions, and forty MS s, (four of them Antient:) and
perJiaps five more. l,\vo others have lya'iJn, fecond
perfon, plural. 3 •¦'¦. 2P,

^yz notes ON ~ CHAP. XLII.
ai. -—his own praife] For nnin, the lxx read
mm. 22. — are taken In the toils] For nsn, read
IliEl'in, in.the plural number, Hophal; as IKinn,
which anfwers to it In the foUowing member of the
fentence: Le Clerc, Houbigant. HSH, secker.
24. — they have finned] For 13Kan, firft per
fon, LXX, and Chald. read IKDn, in the third
perfon. 25. —"the heat ofhis wrath] For nDft, the Eod"
ley MS. has non, in regimine ; more regularly.

CHAP. XLIII.

1. I have called thee by thy name] iai4>3 mi*np.
*' Sic A'erfiones. Videtur ex verfu 7"*°. & re ipfa le
gendum "Diy^ TTIl^lp, [vocavi te meo nomine ;] nam
faepe ufurpatur hasc phrafis, nunquam altera. Nam
XLv. 24. de Cyro alia res eft. Sed dum Deus Ja
cobum Ifraelem vocat, Dei nomine vocat. Vide
Exod. XXXI. 2." SECKER.
3. I have given Egypt for thy ranfom] This is
commonly fuppofed to refer to the time of Sena
cherib's invafion ; who, when he was juft ready to
fall upon Jerufalem, foon after his entering Judea,
was providentially diverted from that defign, and
turned his arms againfl the Egyptians, and their
allies the Cuffiean Arabians, with , their neighbours
"the Sabeans probably joined with them, under
Tirhakah. See Chap. xx. and xxxvn. 9. Or,
as there are fome reafonable objedlions to his opi
nion, perhaps" it may mean more generaUv, that
God

feHAP. XLIIt. ISAIAH. 373
God had often faved his people at the expence of
other nations, whom he had, as It were in their
, ftead, given up to deftrudlion. Vitringa explains
this of Shalmartefer's defign upon the kingdom of
Judea, after he had deftroyed that of Samaria,
from which he was diverted, by carrying the war
againft the Egyptians, Cuffieansj and Sabeans : but
bf this, I think, he has no clear proof In hiftory.
It is not to be woqderedi that maiiy things of this
kind ffiould remain very obfcure for want of the
light of hiftory, which in regard to thefe times is
extremely deficient.
" Did not Cyrus overcome thefe nations? and
might they not be given him for releafing the Jews ?
It feems to have been fo from ch. xlvi 14."
BECKER. 7. Whom for my glory — ]. Ten msss, (three
Antient,) Syr. and Viilg. read ^1123^, without the
'Conjundlion *¦).
8. Bring forth the people blind — ] 1 under
ftand this of the - Gentiles, as the verfe following,
not- of the Jews. Their natural faculties, if they
had made a pfoper ufe of them, muft have led them
to the knowledge qf tiie being and attributes of the
one true God ; " for his eternal power and godhead,
*' If well attended to, are clearly feert in his works;"
Rom. I. 20. and would have preferved them from
running Into the folly and abfurdity of worffiiping
idols. They are here challenged to produce the
Evidence of the power and foreknowledge of their
idol-gods ; and the Jews are juft afterward, ver. 10.
appealed to as wimeffes for God in this caufe ;
therefore thefe latter cannot here be meant by the
people blind with eyes, and deaf with ears.
g. Who among them—] Seven mss, (three An
tient,) and the firft Edition, i486, with Syr. and
VOL. n. T Vulg;

a74 NOTES ON CHAP,, xliii.
Vulg. read DDl, ^vho among you. The prefent read
ing is preferable.
', 14. — the Chaldeans exulting In their ffiips] Ba
bylon was very advantageoufly fituated, both in
refpedl to commerce, and as a naval power. It was
open to the Perfian gulph by, the Euphrates, which
was navigable by large veffels ; and being joined to
the Tigris above Babylon by the canal called Nahar
malca, or the Royal River, fupplied the city with
the produce of the whole country to the north of it,
as far as the Euxine and Cafpian feas. Herod, i.
194. Semiramis was the foundrefs of this part alfo
of the Babylonian greamefs ; ffie Improved the navi
gation ofthe Euphrates ; Herod, i. 184. Strabo, lib.
»xvi. and is faid to. have had a fleet of three thoufand
galfies. Huet, Hift. du Commerce, chap. xi. We
are not to wonder, that in later times we hear little
of the commerce and naval power of Babylon : for,
after the taking of the city by Cyrus, the Euphrates
was not only rendered lefs fit for navigation, by
being on that occafion diverted from its courfe, and
left to fpread over the whole country ; but the Per
fian monarchs, refiding in their own country, to
prevent any Invafioh by- fea on that part of their em
pire, purpofely obftrudled the navigation of both the
rivers, by making cataradls in them ; Strabo, ibid..
that is, by raifing dams acrofs the channel, and ma
king artificial falls in them ; that no veffel of any
.fize or force could poffibly come up. Alexander
began to reftore the navigation of the rivers by
demoliffiing the cataradls upon the Tigris as far up
as Seleucia; Arrian. lib. vn. but he did not live ta
finiffi his great defigns : thofe upon the Euphrates,
ftill continued. Ammianus, xxiv. i. mentions
them as fubfifting in his time.
. The Prophet therefore might very juftly fpeak of
the Ch.Udeaos, as glorying in their naval.power . in
his

CHAP. XLIII. ISAIAH. 275
his- time; though afterward they had no foundation
for making any fuCh boaft.
15. The Creator of Ifrael] For am, Creator,
fix MSS, (two Antient,) have 'n^K, God.
20. The wild beaft of the field fhall glorify me—]
The image' is elegant and highly poetical. God
will give fuch an abundant mirjlculous fupply of
water to his people traverfing the dry defert,' in
their return to their country, that even the, wild--
beafts, the ferpents, the oftriches, and other ani
mals, that haunt thofe aduft regions, ffiall be fen
fible of the bleffing; and ffiaU break forth into
thankfgiving and praifes to him for the unufual
refreffirnent, which they receive from his fo pleiiti-
fuUy watering the fandy waftes of Arabia Deferta,
for the benefit of his people paffing through them.
aa — 24. But thou haft not invoked — ] The
connedlion is : But thou, Iftael, whom I have cho
fen, whom I have formed for myfelf, to, be my'
witnefs againft the falfe gods of the nations; even
thou haft revolted from me, haft negledled my wor
ffiip, and haft been perpetually running after flfange
gods. ' The emphafis of.this and the following parts
of the fehteuce, on which the fenfe depends, feems
to lie on the words Me, on My account, &c. The
Jews were dUigent in performing the external fervi
ces of religion ; in offering prayers, incenfe, facri
fices, oblations : but their prayers were not offered
with faith ; and their oblations were made more fre
quently to their idols, than to the-God of their fa
thers. The Hebrew idiom excludes with a general
negative. In a comparative fenfe, one or two objedls
oppofed to one another: thus, " I wIU have mercy,
and net facrifice." Hofea, vi. 6. " For I fpake not
io your fathers, nor commanded them, — concerning
burnt-offerings or facrifices : but this thing I com
manded them, faying, Obey my voice." Jer. vn.
T a 22,

syS Notes ON CHAt. iLiii,
21, 23. 'And the meaning of this place of Ifaiah
feems to be much the fame with that of Amos ; who
however has explained at large both parts of the
comparifon, and fpecified the falfe fervice oppofed
to the true:
*' Have ye offered unto Me facrifices and offerings,
*' In the wildernefs forty years, O houfe of Ifrael }
" Nay, but ye have borne the tabernacle of your Mo-
" loch, I. .
" And Chiun, your images ;
" The ftar of your God, which you made to your
felves." Amos V. 25. 26.
22. Neither haft thou laboured—] For ny:i' 'O,
LXX and Vulg. read riy:i^"i ; Houbigant. The nega
tive is repeated, or referred to, by the conjundlion
) ; as in many other places. See Note on chap.
XXIII. 4.
28. And thy priftCes ha:ve profarted — ] Iniftead
of inty bbnO), read yilif thrV). So Syr. and LXX,
Tcai spiavav 01 a^;j(^ovjsg ra ceyta [j.ov, 'KHp. Houbigant.
*0/ ocpyjivlsg croD, MSS Pachoih. and I D. II. and
Marchal. Ibid, —to reproach.] nSHJ^, in the fingular
number.: fo an Antient ms. and lxx, Syr. Vulg.

CHAP.

«!HA'P. XLIV. JSAIAH. *77

CHAP. XLR^.

2. Jeffiururt means Ifrael. This name was given
to that people- by Mofes, Deut. xxxn. 15. xxxni.
5, and 26. The moft probable account of it feems
to be that in which the Jewiffi commentators agree ;
namely, that it Is derived from "^V, and fignifies
ttpright. In the fame manner, I|frael, as a people,
is called O^t^D, perfeSl, chap. xlii. 19. They were
taught of God, and abundantly furniffied with the
means of redlitude and perfedlion in his fervice and
worffiip, 4. — as the grafs among the waters] liisn X'll,
*' They fhall fpring up in the midfl of, or rather, in.
among, th£ grcfsV This cannot be right: ten mss,
and two Editions, have |»33, or p3. Twenty-four
MSS read it without the % p3; and. fb reads the
Gfialdee; the Syriac y>:iD. The true reading is in
,all probability f fip ; and t^^ word 0''S, which ffiould
have foUoived It, is loft out of the Text : but it is
happily fupplied by the lxx: dig ava ^sa-ov vlarog.
*' In every place where there is water, there is al
ways grafs : for water makes every thing grow in the
Eaft." Sir John Chardin's Note on i King's ?.yuT.
£,. Harmer's Obferv. i. p. 54.
5. — ffiall be called] Paffive,, i^'lp\, Khfi^ncrsra^f
Symmachus. Ibid. And this ffiall infcrlbe his hand to jeho
tah] KcK? srs^g svriypa-^si %sipi (yji^a, Al- Sym.)
^vrov, rov &SOV sipa : '^ And another ffiall write upon
his hand, I belong to God." lxx. They feem to
have read here, as before, *Di* T^Vi'b.^ But the repe
tition of the fame phrafe without any variation is nqt
T 3 ele-

'^'478 NOTES ON CHAP, XLIV.
elegant. However, they feem to have underftood it
rightly,- as an allufion to the marks, which were
made by pvindlures rendered indelible by fire, or by
ftaining, upon the hand or fome other part of the
body, fignifying the ftate or charadler of thcperfon,
and to whom he belonged : the flave was marked
with the name of his mafter; the foldier, of his
commander ; the idolater, with the name or enfign
ofhis god: gtyp,a.roi s'7riypot(po/jisva, oioe-ruiv g^otrsvo^-
vmv sv roiig XW"- Aetius apud Turnebum Ad verfi
xjiiv. 12. " Vidluris In cute pundlis milites fcripti
& matriculls Inferti jurare folent." Vegetius, 11. 5.
And the Chriftians feem to have imitated this prac
tice, by what Procopius fays on this place of Ifaiah :
TO §j TH« 'XEIPI, 5/04 ro gi^siv /crwg maTO^ovg sm xajmccv,-
Vj (2poi%wvu)v, v\ rov gavpov to a-vj^iuQv, jj tjjv "Kptgov Txroo-
(Tiiyo^iav. " Becaufe many marked their wrifts, or
their arms, with the fign of the Crofs, or with the
name of Chrift." See Rev. xx. 4. Spencer, De
Leg. Hebr. lib. n. cap. 20.
7. —let them declare untb us.] For ^d?, unto
them, the Chaldee reads I3^,unt0 us. The lxx rpads D3b
unto you ; which Is preferable to the reading of theText.
But lab" and U^ are frequently miftaken one for the
other: fee Chap. x. 2,9. Pf lxxx. 7. lxiv. 6.
8. Fear ye nol — ] "imn nufquam occurrit:
forte im^n, timete." Secker. Two mss read
Q, 10, That every one may be affiamed, that he
hath formed a god] The Bodleian ms, one of the
firft extant for its antiquity and authority, Inftead
of ID at the beginning of the loth verfe has O, which
greatly clears up the conftrudlion of a very obfcure
paffage. The lxx likewife clofely connedf In con
ftrudlion the end of ver. 9. with the beginning qf
ver. 10. and wholly omit the interrogative ""D, which
embarraffes the fentence : ato-yyvSti^ovrKi 01 mrhMo-a-ovrsg &SOV,

©HAP. XLIV. ISAIAH. 279
@£ov, xoii yXv(ponsg ts-oinsg uvMipsX^ '. agreeably to the
reading ofthe ms abovementloned.
II. Even the workmen themfelves ffiall bluffi] I
do not know, that any one has ever yet interpreted
thefe words to any tolerably good fenfe : non a"'tyin'J
Dli^D. The Vulgate, and our Tranflators, have-
rendered them very fjllrly, as they are written and
pointed in the Text: " Fabri enim funt ex hOmlnl-
bus." " And the workmen' they are of men." Out
of which the commentators have not been able to
extradl arty thing worthy of the Prophet. I have
given another explanation of the place ; agreeable
enough to the context, if It can be deduced from
the words themfelves. I prefume, that U^a, rubuit,
may flgnlfy erubuit, to be red through ffiame, as
as well as from any other caufe ;• though I cannot
produce any example of it In that particular , fenfe :
and the word in the Text I would point DnKJ3 ; or
if any one ffiould objedl- to the irregularity of the
number, I would read D"'anND. But I rather think,
that the irregularity ofthe conftrudlion has been the
caufe of the obfcurity, and has given occafion to
the miflaken pundluation. The fingular Is fome
times put for the plural; fee Pf. lxviii. 31. and
the participle for the future tenfe; fee If. lx. ii.
12. — cutteth .off—] IV???, Participium Pihel
ofnjjy, to cut ; ftill ufed in that fenfe in the Ara
bic. See Simonis Lex. Heb. The lxx and Syr.
take the word - In this form ; but they render it,
fharpeneth the iron. See Caftell. Ldx. in voce.
The Sacred Writers are generally large and elo
quent upon the fubjedl of idolatry : they treat it
with great fe-v^erity, ,and fet forth the abfurdity of It ,
in the ftrongeft light. But this paffage of Ifaiahj
ver. 12 — 20. far exceeds any thing that ever was
written upon the fubjedl,^ in force of argument,
energy of expreffion, and elegance of compofition.
T 4 One

aSo NOTES ON eHAP- XLIV,
One or two of the. Apocryphal Writers have, at
tempted to imitate, the Prophet, but with very 111
fuccefs: Wifd. xm. 11-^19. xv. 7, &c. Baruch,
chap. VI. efpecially , the latter: who injudlcioufly
dllatirtg his matter, and introducing a number of
minute circumftances, has very much weakened th^
force and effedl of his invedlive. On the contrary a
Heathen Author, in the ludicrous way, has, in a
line or two, given Idolatry one of ti'ie fevereft
ftrokes it ever received :
" Olim truncus eram ficulnus, inutile lignum ;
" Cum faber, incertus fcamnum faceretne Priapum,
" Maluit elfe Deum." Horat.
14. He heweth down — ] For pn'Db, the lxx,.
and Vulg. read mD, or rny.
16. And with part — ] Twenty-three mss, lxx,
and Vulg. add the conjundlion i, ^yi,
18. — 'their eyes art clofed up] The lxx, Chalcl.
and Vulg.' for na, read "IPP- See Note on chap.
VI. 10.
20. He feedeth on affies] He feedeth on that
which affordeth no nouriffiment : a proverbial ex
preflion for ufing ineffedlual means, and beftowlng
labour to no purpofe. In the fame fenfe Hofea fays,
" Ephraim feedeth on wind." Chap. xn. i.
2,2. I have made thy tranfgreffions vaniffi away
like a cloud, And thy flns like a vapour.] Longi
nus admired the fublimity of the fentiment, as well
as the harmony of the numbers, in the foUowjng
fentence -of Demofthenes : Tovro ro •^Yi(pi^iJ.a rov ron
Tn •uToXii ZD-s^iga'/ja xtv^vyov rcaqsK^sty STroirjasy ooo-ttso vsCpog.
" This decree made the danger then hanging ovei:
the city pafs away like a cloud."
24. — by myfelf] Thirteen mss, (fix Aqtient,),
confirm the reading of the Keri, 'yiHp-
27. Who

PHAP- 25:liv. TSAIAH, aSi
27. Who fayeth to the deep. Be thou' wafted]
Cyrus took Babylon -by laying the bed of the Eu
phrates dry, and leading his army into ffie city by
night through the empty channel ofthe river. This
remarkable circumftance, in which the event fp
lexadlly correfponded with the Prophecy, was alfo
noted by Jeremig,h :
A drought fhall be upon her waters, and they fliall be
dried up : —
I will lay her fe3 dry ;
And f will fcorch up her fprings." Jer. L. 38. LI. 36.
It Is proper here to give fome account of the
means and method, by which the ftratagem of Cy
rus was effedled.
. The Euphrates in the middle of fummer, from
the melting of the fnows on the mountains of Ar
menia, like the NUg, overflows the country. In
prder to diminlffi the inundation, and to carry off
the waters, two canals were made by Nebuchadnezzar
a hundred miles above the city ; the firft < on the
JEaftern fide called, Naharmalca, or the Royal River,
by which the Euphrates was let into the Tigris ; the
other on the Weftern fide, called PaUacopas, or
Naharaga, (D.1H inj, the River of the Pool,) by
which the redundant waters were carried into a vaft
lake, forty miles fquare, contrived not only to leffen
the inundation, but for a refervoir, with fluices,
to water the barren country on the Arabian fide.
Cyrus, by turning the whole river into the lake by '
the Pallacopas, laid the "channel, where it ran
through the city, almoft dry; fo that, his army
pntered it, both above ,and below, by the bed of the
river, the water npt reaching above the middle of
the thigh. By the great quantity of water let into the
Jake, the fluices and dams were deftroyed ; and be ing

S^2 NOTES ON CHAP. XLXV.
ing never repaired afterward, ffie waters fpread over
ffie whole country below, and reduced it to a mo
rafs, in which the river is loft. " Ingens modo &
navigabllis, inde tenuis rivus, defpedlus emoritur;
& nufquam manifefto exitu effluit, ut alii omnes,
fed deficit." Mela," in. 8. Herod, i. 185. 19&,
Xenophon. Cyrop. vn. Arrian. vn.
28. Who fayeth to Cyrus, Thou art my ffiep-
herd] " Paftor meus es." Vulg. The true reading
feems to be T\r\a ""VS ; ffie word Tina has probably
been dropt out of the Text. The fame word is loft
out* of the Text, Pf cxix. 57. It is fupplied by
liXX by the word si.
Ibid. Who fayeth to Jerufalem] For "yovh^S, lxx,
and Vulg. read noiKn.
Ibid. — and to the Temple] barb's, a% tbiDTth
before ; the prepofition Is neceffary ; and the Vul
gate feems to read fo. Houbigant.

CHAP. XLV.

I. And ungird the loins of kings] See Note on
Chap. V. 27. Xenophon gives the following lift of
the nations conquered by Cyrus : the Syrians, Afly
rians, Arabians, Cappadociarts, both the Phrygians,
Lydians, Carians, Phenicians, Babylonians. He
moreover reigned over the Badlrlans, Indians, Ci-
llclans, the Sacas, Paphlagones, and Mariandyni,
Cyrop. lib. i. p. 4. Edit. Hutchinfon, 4'°. All
thefe kingdoms he acknowleges, in his Decree for
the Reftoration of the Jews, to have been given to
him by JEHOVAH, the God of heaven. Ezra, i. 2.
Ibid. That I may open before him the valves ;
And the gates ffiall not be ffiut.] The gates of Ba-
' 2 bylgn

CHAP. XLV. ISAIAH. 281J
bylon within the city, leading from the ftreets to
the river, were providentially left open, when Cy
rus's forces entered the city in the night through the
channel of the river. In the general diforder occa
fioned by the great feaft which was then celebrated :
offierwife, fays Herodotus, i. 191. the Perfians
would have been ffiut up In the bed of the river,
and taken as in a net, and all deftroyed. And the
. gates of the palace were opened imprudently by the
king's orders, to inquire what was the caufe of the
tumult without; when the two parties under Go-
:brlas and Gadatas ruffied In, got poffeffion of the
palace, and flew the king. Xenoph. Cyrop. vn.
-p. 528.
a.  the mountains — ] For Cnnn, a word not
eafily accounted for In this place, the lxx read
Omn, -ra opvj. Two Mss have D''"nn, without the 1;
which is hardly diftingulffiable from the reading of
the LXX. The Divine protedlion that attended Cy
rus, and rendered his expedition againft Babylon
eafy and profperous, is finely expreffed by God's
going before him, and making the mountains level.
The image is highly poetical :
" At vos, qua veniet, tumidi fubfidite montes,
" Et faciles curvis vallibus efte vise." Ovid. Amor. 11. 16.
Ibid. The valves of brafs — J Abydenus, apud
Eufeb. Prasp. Evang. ix. 41. fays, that the wall of
Babylon had brazen gates. And Herodotus, i. 179.
more particularly : " In the wall all round there are
a hundred gates all of brafs ; and fo in like manner
are the fides and the lintels." The gates likewife
¦within the city, opening to the river from the feve
ral ftreets, were of brafs : as were thofe alfo of the
Temple of Belus. Id. i. i8o, i8i.
3- I

2,84 NOTES ON CHAP. XLV,
3. I will give xmto thee the treafures of darknefs]
Sardes and Babylon, when taken, by Cyrus, were the
wealthieft cities in the world. Croefus, celebrated
beyond all ffie kings of that age for his riches, gave
up his treafures to Cyrus, with an exadl account in '
writing of the whole, containing the particulars with
which each waggon was Igaded, when they were
carried away : and they were delivered to Cyrus at
the palace of Babylon. Xenoph. Cyrop. lib. vn.
P* 503-, 515- 540-
Pliny gives the fallowing account of the wealth
taken by Cyrus in Afia. " Jarti Cyrus, devidla
Afia pondo XXXIV millia [auri] invenerat; praeter
vafa aurea, aurumque fadlum, & in eo fofia, ac plar
tanum, vitemque. Qua vidloria argenti quingenta
millia talentorum reportavit ; & craterem Semirami-
dis, cujus pondus quindecim talenta coUigebat.
Talentum autem ^gyptlum pondo i^-xxx patere [1. .
capere] Varro tradit." Nat. Hift. xx:^iii. 15.
The gold and filver, eftimated by weight in this
account, being converted into pounds fterling,
amount to ;{. 126,224,000, Brerewood, De Poqde-
rlbus, cap. x.
7. Forming light, and creating darknefs] It was the
great principle of the Magian religion, which pre-r
vaded In Perfia in the time of Cyrus, and in which
probably he was educated, that there are -Two fur
preme, co-eternal, and Indepertdent Caufes, always
adling In oppofition one to the other ; one the au
thor of all good, the other of all evil ; the Good be
ing they called Light; the Evil being, Darknef^:
ffiat, when Light had the afcendant, then good and
happinefs prevailed among men ; when Darknefs had
the fuperiority, then evil and mifery abounded. An
opinion, that contradidls the cleareft evidence of our
reafon, which plainly leads us to the acknowlege-
ment of One only Supreme being, infinitely good as
5 weU

CHAP. XLV. ISAIAH. flS^
¦Well as powerfuj. With reference to this abfurd
opinion, held by the perfon to whom this Prophecy
is addreffed, God by his Prophet, in the moft fig-
hificant terms, afferts his omnipotence and abfolute
fupremacy:

" I am JEHOVAH, and none elfe ;
" Forming light, and creating darknefs;
•' Making peace, and creating evil :
*' I JEHOVAH am the autho-r of all thefe t.

. f

ce, ana creatmg evu :
am the autho-r of all thefe things.
Declaring, that thofe Powers, whdm the Perfians
held to be the original authors of good and evil to
mankind, rcprefenting them by Light and Darknefs,
as their proper emblems, are no others than crea
tures of God, ffie Inftruments which he employs in -
his government of the world, ordained or perrnitted
by him in order to execute his wife and juft decrees ;
and that there Is no Power, either of good or evll^
independent of the One Supreme God, infinite In
power and In goodnefs.
> There were however fome among the Perfians,
whofe fentiments were more moderate as to this mat
ter : who held the Evil principle to be in fome mea-
fute fubordinate to the Good ; and that the former
would at length be wholly fubdued by the latter.
See Hyde, De Relig. Vet. Perf. cap. xxn.
That this opinion prevailed among the Perfians as
early as the tinie of Cyrus, v/e may, I think. Infer,
not only from this paffage of Ifaiah, which has a
manifeft reference to itj but likewife from a paflage
in Xenophon's Cyropaedia, where the farae dodlrine
- is applied to the human mind. Arafpes, a noble
young Perfian, had fallen in love with' the fair
captive Panthea, committed to his charge by Cyrus.
After all his boafting, that he was fuperior to the
affaiilts of that paffion, he yielded fo far to it, as
even to threaten violence, if ffie would not com'ply
•with his defires. Awed by the reproof of Cyrus, fear-

a86 NOTES ON CHAF. XLV:i
fearing his difpleafure, and having by cool refledlion
recovered his reafon ; in his difcourfe with him on
ffils fubjedl, he fays, " O Cyrus, I have certainly
two fouls; and this piece of philofophy I have
learned from that wicked fophift Love. For If I had
but one foul, it would not be at the fame time gqod
and evil ; it would nOt at the fame time approve;, of
honourable and bafe adlions; and at once defire to
do, and refufe to do, ffie very fame ffiings. Bqt it
• is plain, that I am animated by two fouls ; and when
the good foul prevaUs, I do what is virtuous ; . and
when the evil one prevails, I attempt what is vi
cious. But now the good foul prevails, having got
ten you for her affiftant, and has clearly gained the
fupieriority." Lib. vi. p. 424.
8. Drop down, O ye heavens^—] The eighty-
fifth Pfalm Is a very elegant ode on the fame fubjedl
with this part of Ifaiah's Prophecies ; the Reftora
tion of Judah from captivity ; and is, in the moft
beautiful part of it, a manifeft Iniltatlon of this paf
fage of the Prophet :
" Verily his Salvation is nigh unto them that fear him,
" That Glory may dwell in our land.
" Mercy and Truth have met together;
" Righteoufnefs and Peace have kilfed each other.
" 'I'ruth fliaU fpring; out ofthe earth,
" And Righteoufnefs fhall look down from heavep.
" Even jehoVah will give tJiat which is good,
?' And our land fliall yield her produce.
*' Righteoufnefs fhall go before him,
" And fhall direft his footfteps in tbe way."
I'f. LXXXV. 10 — 14,
Thefe images of the dew and the rain defcending
from heaven, and making the earth fruitful, em--
ployed by the Prophet, and fome of thofe nearly of
the fame kind which are ufed by the Pfalmift, may
perhaps be primarily underftood, as defigned to fet
forth

CHAP. XLV. ISAIAH. 487
forth in a fplendid manner the happy ftate of God's ,
people reftored to their country, and flourjffiing in
peace and plenty, in piety and virtue : but Juftice
and Salvation, Mercy and Truth, Righteoufnefs and
Peace, and Glory dweUing in the land, cannot with
any fort of propriety, in the one or the other, be
interpreted as the confequences of that event ; they
muft mean the bleffings of the great Redemption by
Meffiah. Ibid. — ^let falvation produce her fruit] For 1")3''1,.
the i,xx, Vulg. and Syr. read n"l3''1 ; and a ms has.
a rafure clofe after the latter 1, which probably was
n at firft.
9. Wo unto him, that contendeth with the power
that formed him] The Prophet anfwers or prevents
the objedlions ahd ca-vils of the unbelieving Jews,
difpofed to murmur againft God, and to arraign the
wifdom and juftice of his difpenfations in regard to
them; In permitting them to be oppreffed by, their
enemies, and in promifing them deliverance inftead
of preventing their captivity. St. Paul has borrow
ed the image, and has applied it to the like purpofe
with equal force and elegance : " Nay, but, O man !
who art thou that replieft againft God ? . ShaU ffie
thing -formed fay to him that formed it, why haft,
thou . made me thus ? Hath not the potter power
- over the clay out ofthe fame lump to make one vef-,
fel to honour,- and another to diffionour ?" Rom. ix/
20, 21. ' ' ' ¦ '
Ibid. — and to the xvorkman. Thou haft no.
hands] The Syr. renders, as if he .'had read, kVi
-j»T bv^ Wn, " Neither am I the work of thy
hands." The lxx', as if they had read, r\bv^ K^l
"j^ on' "iWj " Neither haft thou made me ; and thou,
haft no hands." But the fault- feems to be in the
tranfpofition of the two pronouns ; for "pVS") read
l^yS") ; and for 1^ read -[b. So Houbigant corredls^ it ;

a88' NOTES ON cltAP. xlf i
it ; reading alfO iVyS^I ; which laft corredlion feemS
not altogether neceflary. The lxx In mss Pachom.-
and I D. n. have if thus : xai ro spryov, ovx s^sig 'ysi-
fag ; which favours the reading here propofed.
1 1. And he that formeth the things which are to
come] I read nuvi, without the 1 fuffixed ; froni
the lxx, who join it In conftrudlion with the fol
lowing -word ; 0 zs'oiwocg tdc S7rc^/oiJ.iVx. ,,
Jbid. Do ye queftion me — ] " ^JlbKtt^rJ, Chald.
redle : praecedit n ; & fic forte legerunt reliqui Intt."
SECKER. 14. The wealth of Egypt — ] This feems to re
late to the future admiffion of the Gentiles into the
Church of God. Compare Pf. Lxyni. 3:2. lxxii.
10. Chap. LX. 6-^9. And perhaps thefe particular
nations may be named, by a metonymy common In
in all poetry!, for powerful and wealthy nations in
general. See Note on Chap. lx. i.
Ibid. The Sabeans tall of ftature — ] That the
Sabeans were of a more majeftic appearance than
common is particularly remarked by Agatharchides,
an ancient Greek hiftorian quoted by Bochart, Pha
leg. n. 26. ra (yu^ara sgi roov xajoixovvjocv a.^toXdyocjspai
So alfo the lxx underftand it, rendering It avt^sg
vi]jYi^ot. And the fame phrafe, Tn'D '^^la, is ufed
fpr perfqns of extraordinary ftature. Num. xni. 32.
and I Chron. xx. 6.
Ibid. — and In fuppllant guife — ] The conjunc
tion ") is fupplied by the Ancient Verfions, and con
firmed by fifteen mss, (feven Ancient,) and fix
Editions, "yha^. Three mss, (two Ancient,) omit
the 1 before '^^VK at the beginning of the line.-
16. They are affiamed — ] The reader cannot but
. obferve the fudden tranfition from the folemn ado
ration of the fecret and myfterious nature of God's
counfels, in regard to his people, to the fplrited de
nunciation of the confufion of idolaters, and the
final

CHAP. XLV. ISAIAH. 4^9
final deftrudlion of idolatry; contrafted with the
falvation of Ifrael, not from temporal captivity, but
the eternal falvation by Meffiah, ftrongly marked by
the repetition and augmentation of the phrafe, /a
the ages of eternity. But there is not only a fuddert
change in the fentiment ; the change is equally ob
fervable in ffie conftrudlion of the fentences ; which
from the ufual ffiort meafure runs out at once into
diftichs of the longer fort of verfe. See Prelim. Dif
fert. p. lxvi, I &c. There is another inftance of ffie
fame kind, and very like to this, of a fudden tran
fition in regard both to the fentiment and conftruc-
tion in Chap. xlii. 17. ,
Ibid. — his adverfaries, all of them.] This line,
to the great diminution of the beauty of the diftich,
is imperfedl in the prefent Text ; the fubjedl of the
propofition Is not particularly expreffed, as it is In
the line following. The Verfion of the lxx hap
pily fupplies the word that is loft ; 01 oivrixsi^ivoi odvru:
the original word was ms.
18. — for he formed it to be inhabited] An An
tient MS has f2 before rwh; and fo the antient
Verfions. 19. I have not fpoken in fecret, in a dark place
of the earth] In oppofition to the manner In which
the .heathen oracles gave their anfwers ; which were
generally delivered from fome deep and obfcure ca
vern. Such was the feat of the Cumean Sybil :
" Excifum Euboica; latus ingens rupis in antruu-i."
Virg. iSn. VI. 42-
Such was that of the famous oracle at Delphi : of
which, fays Strabo, lib. 9. <p«o"< S' sivai ro [Mavjsiov uv-
rpav xoiXov .^sjoi (Ba^ovg, ov [J,a7\.a sv^vgo^ov. " The Ora
cle is faid to be a hollow cavern of a confiderable
depth, with an opening not very wide." And Dio
dorus, giving an account of the ca-igin of this ora-
voL. II. u cle.

^90 notes ,o n chap.- xlv,
cle, fays, E,' that there was in that place a great
* chafm, or cleft,- in the earth; In which very place
.* is now fituated what is called .the Adytum:, of the
,^* Temple.' A^vjqv a-Tr^jKaiov, y^ ro a'7TOKpv(poy ^spog tw
hpov. Hefych. " A'dytum means a cavern, or the
" hidden part ofthe Temple." * .r ' -
. Ibid.. I am jehovah, who fpeak truth, who give
diredl anfwers.] This alfo is faid in oppofition to
the falfe and ambiguous anfwers given by the hea
then oracles ; of which there are many noted exam
ples ; none more fo than that of the anfwer given to
Croefus, vhen he marched againft Cyrus; which
piece of hiftory has fome connedlion with , this part
of Ifaiah's prophecies. Let us hear Cicero's account
ofthe Delphic anfwers in general, and of this In
particular. " Sed jam ad te venio,
O Sandle Apollo, qui umbillcum certum terrarum
obfides,
, Unde fuperftitiofa primum^ fseva evafit vox fera.
Tuis enim oraculis Chryfippiis totum volumen Im-
plevit, partim falfis,' ut ego opinor ; partim' cafu
veris, ut fit in omni oratione faepiffime; partim fiex-
iloquis & obfcuris, ut interpres egeat interprete, &
fors ipfa ad fortes referenda'fit ; partim ambiguis, &
quse ad dialedlicum deferenda fint. Nam cum fors
ilia edita eft opulentiffimo regi Afiae,
Croefus Halym penetrans magnam pervertet opum,
vim r . ¦
hoftium vim fefe perverfurum putavIt ; pervertit au
tem fuam. Utrum Igitur eorum accidiffet, verum
oraculum fuiffet." De Divinat. n. $6. ' ' "-'-
21. — bring them near, and let them confult to
gether] For luyT*, let them , ^ow/m//, the lxx redd'
"WT, \tt them know ; but an Antient ms; has TWT,
'• let them come together by appointment;" which'
may probably be the true reading.
«^ ' 43. — trutli

*hap. XLV. ISAIAH. agi
2,3. — truth is gone forth from- my mouth; The
Word, — ] So the lxx diftingulffi the members of
the fentence ; preferving the elegance of the con
ftrudlion, and the clearnefs ofthe fenfe.
,24. Saying, 'Only to jehovah — ] A ms omits
"b, unto me ; and inftead of IDK 'h, he faid, or ftoall
fay, unto me, the Lxaaread, in the copy which they
ufed, tiVh, faying. Tor i^as he ffiall come. In the
.fingular, twelve mss, (three Antient,) read "ij^n^
plural ; and a letter Is erafed at the end of the word
in two others : and fo the Alexandrine copy of the
LXX, Syr. and Vulg. read It. For mpns, plural,
two mss read npHX, fingular; and fo lxx, Syr.-
Chald. ' ,

CHAP. XLVi.

I. Their burthens are heavy] For QD^ni<li>J, youf
burthens, the lxx had In their copy DnTISli^J, their
burthens. 2. They could not deliver their own charge] That
Is, their worffilpers; who ought to have b^en borne
by them. See the two next verfes. The Chaldee
and Syriac Verfions render it in effedl to' the fame
purpofe, portantes fe, thofe that bear them, meaning
their worffilpers ; but how they can render NTi/a in
an adlive fenfe, I do not underftand.
Ibid. Even they themfelves—] For Dli'Sit, an
Antient ms has DtyS3 *D, with more force.
3 — 7. Ye that have been borne by me from the
birth, — ] The Prophet- very ingenioufly, and with-
¥ 2 great

^9* NOTES ON PHAP* XLV J,
great force, contrafts the power of God, and hi^
tender goodnefs effedlually exerted towards his peo-
;ple, with the inability of the fklfe gods of the hea-
theri : He like an indulgent father had carried his
people in his arms, *' as a man carrieth his fon;"
Deut. I. 31. he had protedled them, and delivered
them from their diftreffes: whereas the, idols of the
heathen are forced to be carried about themfelves,
and removed from place to place, with great labour
and fatigue, by their worffilpers ; nor can they an
fwer, or deliver their votaries, when they cry unto
them. Mofes, expoftulating with God on the weight of
the charge laid upon him as leader of his people, ex
preffes that charge under the fame image of a parent's
carrying his children in very ftrong terms: " Have
*' I conceived all this people ? have I begotten them ?'
*' that thou ffiouldeft fay unto me. Carry them in
' ' thy bofom, as a nrtrfing father beareth the fucking
*' child, unto the land which tho-q, fwareft unto* ffieir
*' fathers." Num. xi. 12.
Pindar has treated with a juft and very elegant ri
dicule the work of the ftatuary even In comparifon,
with his own poetry, from this circumftance of Its
being fixed to a certain ftation. " The friends of
Pytheas, fays the Scholiaft, came to the poet, de-
firing him to write an ode on his vidlory. Pindar
demanded three drachms (?nmiS, I fuppofe it ffiould
be) for the ode. No, fay they, we can have a bra
zen ftatue for that money, which will be better than
a poem. However, changing^ their minds after
wards, they came and offered him what he had de
manded."' This gave him the hint of the following
ingenious exordium of his ode :
Ovjc uv^^iavroTTOiog si^^
'iig' t'l'.ivua-a-dvroi p,' s^ya^ST-
6eii ayoCK^oii' Sir «*;MT«f ^aSpi^i^
3 «$;«?*

«fHAP. XLVI. ISAIAH. 49J;
Eg"«OT'. A^.^' sm utKvcxs
OKxM^iig, sv r aixxrcAf
270/% a7r' AiyiMocS S.ayysA-
¦^io" or/ Aoiy.7riAaisg vios -
Tlvdsoie svpva-Qsvris
Hixri 'Ssp.siQig ms^iyx-^xriH gs<pavev. Nem. v.
Thus elegandy tranflated by Mr. Francis in a Note
to Hor. Carm. iv. 2. 1,9.
*' It is not mine with forming hanS
" To bid a lifelefs image fland
" For ever on its bafe :
*' But fly, my verfes, and proclaim
"To diftant realms, with deathlefs fame,
" That Pytheas conquer'd in the rapid race,"
Jeremiah feems to be indebted to Ifaiah for mofl:
of the following paffage :
" The praftices of the people are altogether vanity :
*' For they cut down a tree frora the foreft :
" The work of the artificer's hand with the ax-:
" With filver and with gold it is adorned ;
*' Witb nails and with hammers it is fattened, that it may
" not totter.
" Like the palm-tree they fland ftiff, and cannot fp.edt ;
*' They are carried about, for they cannot go :
" Fear theral not, for they cannot do harm ;
.* " Neither is it in them to ,do good." Jer. x. 3 — 5.

8- — ffiew yourfelves men] ltt>tJ>><nn, this word
is rather of doubtful derivation, and fignification,- It
occurs only in this place : and fome of the anc'ent
interpreters feem to have had fomething different in'
their copies. Vulg. read Itt^ty^nn, take ffiame to
yourfelves. Syr. IMI^nn, con ii der with' yourfelves.
LXX, gsm^srs; perhaps I'^^Nnn, groan, or mourn,
within yourfelves. ' , ,
II. Calling from the Eaft the eagle] A very pro
per emblem for Cyrus, as in other refpe(9:s, fo par-
u 3 ticularly

^94. IfOTES ON CHAP. xLvir;
ticulariy becaufe the enfign of Cyrus was a golden
eagle, AET02 xpvTovg, the very word tDiy> which
the Prophet ufes here, expreffed as near as may be
in Greek letters. Xenoph. Cyrop. fib. vn. fub init.
Ibid. And from a land] Two mss add- the con
jundlion 1, \')aa); fo LXX, Syr. Vulg. '^ -

CHAP. XLVII.

¦ 1. Defcend,- and fit on the duft — ] See Note on
Chap. III. 26. and on Chap. lii. 2.
2. Take thcrnlU, and grind the corn] It was the
work of flaves lo, grind the corn. They ufed hand-
mills : water-mills were not invented till a little be
fore the time of Auguftus-: (fee the Greek epigram
of Antipater, which feems to celebrate It as a new
invention: Anthol. Cephalae, 6$^.) wind-mills, long
after. It was not only the work of flaves, but the
hardeft work ; and often Inflidled upon them as a
fevere puniffiment.
" Molendum in piflrino; vapulandum; habendae com-
" pedes." Terent. Phormio, 11. 1. 19..
" Hominem piftrino dignum !" Id. Heaut. iii. 2. 19.
But In the Eaft It was the work of the female flaves.
See Exod. xi. 5. xn. 29. (in the verfion of the lxx.)
Matth. XXIV. 41. Homer, Odyff. xx. 105 — ig8.
And it is the fame to this day. " Women alone are
employed to grind their corn." Shaw, Algiers and
Tunis, p. 297. " They are the female flaves, that
are generaUy employed in the Eaft at thofe hand-
' ' . mills

eHAP. xLvii, isaiah, 495
mills [for grinding corn ;] ' it is extremely laborious,
and efteemed the loweft employment in the houfe!"
Sir J. Qiardln, Harmer's Obf i. p. 153.
2. I will not fuffer man to intercede] The verb
ffiOuld, be pointed, or written, yjlE)}*, in HiphU.
4. Our Avenger — ] ¦ Here a chorus breaks In
¦upon the inidft of the fubjedl; with a change of
conftrudlion, as well as fentiment, from the longer
to the fliorter kind of yerfe, for ohe diftich only :
after which the former fubjedt and ftile is refumed.
See Note on xlv,. 16.
6. I was angry with my people — ] God, In the
cOurfe of his providence, makes ufe of great con
querors and tyrants, as his .inftruments to execute
his judgements in the earth : he employs one wicked
nation to fcourge another. The inflidlor of the pu
niffiment may perhaps be as culpable as the fufferer;
and may add\o his guilt by indulging his cruelty in
executing God's juftice. When he l^as fulfilled the
work to which ¦ the Divine vengeance has' ordained
him, be will become himfelf the objedl of It. See
Chap. X. 5 — 12. God charges the Babylonians,
though employed by himfelf to chaftife his people,
with cruelty in regard to them. They exceeded the -
bounds of juftice and humanity in oppreffing and
deftroying them ; and though they were really exe
cuting the righteous decree of God, yet, 'as far as it
regarded themfelves, they jvere only indulging their
¦own ambition and violence. The Prophet Zechariah
fets this matter in the fame'light :^ '" I was but a lit-
*' tie angry, and they helped forward to afflidlion."
¦Ch. I. 15.
7. Becaufe thou didft not — ^J For ny, read bv ;
fo two Mss, and one Edition. And for niTiini*, the
latter end of it, read "jn''nni4, thy latter end.: fo
'thirt-sen mss, and two Editions, and Vulg.
u 4 9., Qn

.agS NOTES ON CHAP. XLVir.
9. On a fudden — ] Inftead of tSOrO, in their
perfeBion, as our Tranflation renders it, the lxx,
and Syr. read in the, copies, from which they tran-
, flated, DNnS ; fuddenly ; paraUel to yj"i, in a moment,
in the preceding alternate member of the fentence.
The concurrent teftimony of lxx, and Syr. fa
voured by the context, may be fafely oppofed tp
the autiiority of the prefent Text.
Ibid. Notwithftanding the multitude — ~\ 2'X2;
for this fenfe ofthe particle l, fee Num. xiv. 11. '
II. — how to deprecate] TXirW. fo the Chaldee
renders it; vyhich Is approved by Jarchi on the-
place; and Michaelis Epim. in Praeledl. xix. fee
Pf. LXXVIII. 34.
Ibid. " Videtur In fine [fiujus commatis] deeffe
verbum, ut hoc membrum priorihus refpondeai."
SECKER. . . . ,-
In order to fet in a proper light this judicious re
mark, it is neceffary to giye the reader an exadl
verbal tranflation of the whole verfe :
" And evil fhall come upon thee, thou fhall not knovr
" how to deprecate it ;
" And mifchief fhall fall upon thee, thou fhalt not be
" able to expiate it ;
•' And deftru£fion fhall come fuddenly upon thee, tliou
*' fhalt not know"- 
What ? how to efcape, to avoid It, to be delivered
from it; (perhaps nDDia riKS, Jer. xi. 11.) I am
perfuaded, that a phrafe is here loft out ofthe Text.
But as the antient Verfiorts retain no traces of It, and '
a wide field lies open to uncertain conjedlure, I have
not attempted to fill up the chafm ; but have in the
tranflation, as others have done before me, ' palliated
and difguifed the defedl, which I cannot with any
affiirance pretend to fupply.
13. What are the events — ] Fpr 'Waf2, read na
"Wa: fa the lxx. 55

CHAP. XLVIII. ISAIAH. 1197
15. —to his own bufinefs] inay^, expo^tors giv«
no very good account of this word in this place. In
a MS it was firft in^y^, which is probably the true
reading. The fenfe however is pretty much the
fame with the common interpretation.

CHAP. XLVIII.

I. Ye that flow from the fountain of Judah] ^ani,
frorti the waters. " Perhaps *>V^'0,from the bowels^
[fo many others have conjedlured,] or [min^j '30,
or nnin^ia. from Judah." secker: But fee Michae
lis in PrsBledl. Not. 22. And we have 2pV^ Vy, the
fountain of Jacob, Deut. xxxin. 28. and mpaai
^Kniy*, from the fountain of Ifrael, Pf. lxviii. 27.
Twenty-feven mss, and three Editions, have 'D^D,
from the days ; which makes no good fenfe.
6. — heholr), the whole is accomplifhed] For
ntn, y^"?, a MS has TWT^, this; thou haft heard the
v,/ioIeof/to.- the S/riac has r^^tni, thou haft heard,
ai.d thcu bafr feen, the whole. Perhaps it ffiould be
T^'^T^, hi'hold. In order to exprefs the full fenfe, I
Ii.i\'e iCi dered it fomewhat paraphraftically.
9. Ani for he fake of my praife] I read ]ya^
'nbnn.' Tiiy- word xanb, though not abfolutely ne--
.ceffary here, for it n;ay be underftood as fupplied"
from the preceding member, yet feems to have been
removed from hence to vgr. 1 1 ; where it is re
dundant, and where It is not repeated, in lxx, Syr,
and a MS. I have therefore omitted it in the latter
place ; and added it here,

JfOTES Oif CHAP, XLVIir,
IO. I have tried thee — J For'^iJ^nria, I havfe
ehofen thee, a MS has Tin^na, I. have tried thee. And
fo perhaps read the Syriac and Clialdee interpreters :
$hey retain the fame word rjmn2 ; but in thofe lan
guages it fignifies, I have tried thee. e^DDD, quajH
argentum. Vulg.
II. for how would my name be blafphemed?]
The wprd >Dty, my name, is dropt out of the Text :
it is fupplied by a ms which has 'QK^ ; and by lxx,
on ro sp.cv ovop.a jSeSjjAsjto!/. The Syr. and Vulg. get
over the difficulty, by making the verb in the firft
perfon; that Imay not be blafphemed.
12. — O Jacob, my fervant] After apy", a ms,
and the two old Editions of i486, and .1488, add
the word nay, which is loft out ofthe prefent Text;
and there is a rafure in its place In ¦ another Antient
MS. 'The Jei'ufalem Talmud has the fame word.
Ibid. For >3K ^a, even I, two Antient -mss, and
the antient Verfions, read . '•3X1, and I ; more pro.-
perly.
• ;-i4. Who -among yoK — ] For Dni, among Mg/w,
twenty-one mss, (nine Antient,) and two Editions,-
(one of them that of the year 1488,) have D33,
iamong you : and fo the Syriac.
' Ibid. He, whom jkhov Ait hath loved, will exe
cute] That Is Cyrus: fo Symmachus has well ren-,
tiered it. ''O;' 0 Kvptog yiyavn^rs, ziror/iTSi ro SlzTyrt^ik
WVtOV. , Ibid. — on the Chaldeans] The Prepofition is
?oft ; It is fupplied In the Edition of i486, which
has aniD'D2 : , and fo Chald. and Vulg. -v
' 16. Draw near unto me, and hear ye this] After
•the word inp, draw near, a ms adds D''ia, O ye na
tions ; which, as this, and the two preceding verfes
are plainly addreffed to the Idolatrous nations, re
proaching their gods, as unable to predidl future
events, is probably genuine. Ibid.

CHAP. XLVIII. IS A I A H. ^99
< Ibid. — and hear — ] A ms adds ffie conjundlion^
"i^tytA ; and fo lxx, Syr. Vulg.
Ibid. — I have not fpoken In fecret] The Alex
andrine copy of LXX adds here, ovls sv roirod yng crxo-
rsivcf, nor in a dark place of the earth, as in xlv. 19.
That It ftands rightly, or at leaft ftood i very early, in
this place ofthe verfion of the lxx, is highly pro
bable ; becaufe it is acknowleged by the Arabic
Verfion; and by the Coptic, ms St. Ger*:iaain de
Prez, Paris, tranflated likewife from the lxx. . But
whether It fhould be inferted, as of right belonging
to ffie Hebrew text, may be doubted ; for a trart-
fcrlber, of the Greek Verfion might eafily add it by
rnemory froin the parallel place ; and it is not ne
ceffary to the ferife.
Ibid. — when it began to exift] A^ Antient :ms
has Dnvn, they began to exift : and fo another had
it at firft. X -
Ibid. I had decreed it] I take Dtt? for a verb, not
an adverb.
Ibid. And now the Lord jehovah hath fent me,
and his, Spirit] T-.g^sgiv o sv,rM'fi(raiK Ksyoov; xav vvy
Kvpiog aTTsgsiXs- jjis xai ro Uvsvpiei avrov\-sv m (SJ^atpiSoAou
ovrog rovpYirov, 'mors^ov 0 Harijp xai ro 'Ajiov Tlvsv^a ats-
^siXoiv rov I^<rovy, n 0 Uarr,^ aTTsgsiXs rov rs 'Kpigov xai ra
'Aytov Uvsvpia' ro ^surspov sgiv aX'/i9sg. " Who Is it,
that faith in Ifaiah, And now the Lord hath fent
me and his Spirit ? in which, as; the expreffion is
ambiguous, is It the Father and the Holy Spirit who
have fent Jefus ; or the Father, who hath fent both
Chrift and the Holy Spirit ? The latter is the true
interpretation." Origen. cont. Celf. Lib. i. I have
kept to the order of the words of the original, oh
purpofe that the ambiguity, which Origen remarks
in the verfion of lxx, and which is the fame in the
Hebrew, might ftill remain, and the fenfe^ which he

$Od! NOTESON CHAP. XLVlir,
he gives to it, be offered to the reader's judgeriient ;
which is wholly excluded in our yulgar Tranflation:.
I?, like the River] That i«, the Euphrates.
19. — like that of the bowels thereof] *ya "NSKSS
O^y^n am DM. "(As the iffue of the bowels of the
fea ; that is, ffie fiffies." Salom. b. Melee. And fo
iikewife Aben Ezra, Jarchi, Kimchi, &c.
. Ibid. Thy name] For TDSt, his name, the lxx
had in the copy from which they tranflated *|DI£^, thy
name. ao. — and make it heard- — ¦] Twenty-feven mss,
(ten' Antient,)' and one Edition, prefix to ffie verb
the conjundlion 1, lyatt^m.
ai. They thirfted not in the deferts-;-] Kimchi
has a furprifing -obfervation upon this place: "If
** the prophecy,, fays he, relates to the return from
** the. Babyloniffi Captivity, as it feems to do, it is
*' to be wondered, how It comes to pafs, that in the
*' book of Ezra, in which he gives an account of
" their return, no mention Is made, that fuch mi-
*' racles were wrought for them ; as, for inftance,
*' that God clave the rock for them in the defert."
It is really much to be wondered, thai one of the
¦moft learned. and judicious of the Jewiffi expofitors
of the Old Teftament, having advanced fo far in a
large comment on Ifaiah, ffiould appear to be totally
ignoram of the Prophet's manner of writing ; of the
Parabolic ftyle, which prevails In the writings of all
the Prophets ; and more particularly In the Prophe
cy of Ifaiah; which abounds throughout In Parabo-'
lie images from the beginning to the end; from
*' Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth/' to
"the worm and the fire" in the laft verfe. And
how came he to keep his wonderment to himfelf fo
long ? Why did he not expedl, that the hiftorian
ffiould have related, how, as they paffed througli
the delert, cedars, pines, and olive trees ffiot up at
once

«HAr. XLYIII. ISAIAH. ^61,
once on the fide of the way to ffiade them ; and that
inftead of briers and brambles the acacia and the
myrtle fprung up under their feet, according to
God's promifes. Chap. xli. 19. and lv. 13? Thefe
and a multitude of the like parabofical or poetical
images were never intended to be underftood lite
rally. All that the Prophet defigned In this place,
and which he has execiited in the moft elegant man
ner^ was an amplification and Illuftration of the gra-r
'cious care and protedlion of God, vouchfafed to his
people In their return firom Babylon, by an allufion
to the miraculous Exodus from Egypt. See De S,,
Poefi Hebr. Prsel. ix.
aa. There is no peace, faith jehovah, to the
wicked.} See below Note on Chap. lvii. ai.

CHAP. XLIX.

J, Hearken unto me, O ye diflrant lands — ^J Hi
therto the fubjedl ofthe prophecy has been chiefly
confined to the Redemption from the Captivity of
Babylon ; with ftrong intimations of a more impor-^
tant Deliverance fometimes thrown in ; to the refu
tation of Idolatry ; and the demonftration of the in
finite power, wifdom, and foreknowlege of God.
The charadler and office of the Meffiah -was exhi
bited in general terms at the beginning of Chap.
xlii. but here he is introduced in perfon, declaring
the full extent of his commiffion ; which is nOt only
to reftore the Ifraelites, and reconcUe them to theiir._
Lord and Father, from whom they had fo often re
volted ; but to be a light to lighten the Gentiles, to
Call

goa NOTES ON GHAP. XLIX.
call them to the knowlege and obedience of the true
God, and to bring theni to be one church toge.ther
with the Ifraelites, and to partake with them of the
fame common falvation procured for all by the great
Redeemer and Reconciler of man to God.
2. And he hath made my mouth a ffiarp fword — ]
The fervant of God, who fpeaks in the former part
of this Chapter, muft be the Meffiah. If any part
of this charadler can, in any fenfe, belong to the
Prophet ; yet In fome parts it muft belong exclu
fively to Chrift ; and In all parts, to Him in a much
fuller and more proper fenfe. Ifaiah's miffion was
to the Jews ; not to diftant nations, to' whom the
fpeaker In this place addreffes himfelf. " He hath
made my mouth a ffiarp fword :" *' to reprove the
wicked, and to denounce unto them punifhment,"
fays Jarchi, underftanding it of Ifaiah : but how
much better does It fuit him, who Is reprefented as
having " a ffiarp two-edged fword going out of his
mouth," Rev. i. i6. who is himfelf the Word of
God; which " 'Word is quick and powerful, and
ffiarper than any two-edged fword, piercing even to
the dividing afunder of foul and fpirit, and of the
joints and, marrow, and a difcerner of the' thoughts
and intents ofthe heart." Heb. iv. 12, This mighty
Agent and Inftrument of God, " long laid up in
ftore with him, and fealed up anapng his treafures,"
is at laft revealed, and produced by his power, artd
Under his protedlion, to execute his great and holy
purpofes : he is compared to a poliffied ffiaft ftored
in his quiver for ufe in his due time. The poliffied
ffiaft' denotes the fame efficacious word, which is
before reprefented by the fliarp fword. The doc
trine of the Gofpel pierced the hearts of Its hearers,
" bringing into captivity every thought to the obe-
fl lence of Chrift." The m.etaphor of the fword and
the arrow, applied to powerful fpeech, is bold, yet

CHAP.. XL13|. -ISAIAH. 503
juft. It has beert employed- by the moft irtgertlous
iieathen writers. If with equal elegance, not with
equal forc.e. It Is faid of Pericles by Ariftophanes.,
(fee Cicero Epift. ad Atticum xn. 6.) ^:';
'Ovrciig suriKsif tcmi p,ovog roov prifo^ciov
To xsvr^ov syxMre'Ksi'Trs rotg ax^ooo^svoig. , Apud Diod. Lib. xir.
His powerful fpeech
Pierced the hearer's foul, and left behind ' ; .
Deep in his bofom its keen point infixt.
Pindar is particularly fond of this metaphor^, and
frequently applies It to his own poetry :
Evrf-^f 'vvy o-xottoo ro^ov,
Ays, Bvpus. riva ^oKKo^E))
Ejc jj.a?^9 axag avrs (pps-
vog svxKsag oigovg
Isvrsg; ' Olymp. Ii. 160.
" Corne on ! thy brighteft fhafts prepare,
" And bend, O Mufe, thy founding bow ;
" Say, through what paths of liquid air
" Our arrows fhall we throw .?" 'Weft.
See alfo ver. 149, of the fam.e ode, and Olyriip. I'x.
17. on the former of which places the Scholiaft fays,
rpOTTixog' 0 Koyog' (SsK^i os rovg Xoyog stptjxs, §/« ro 0^0
jcai. xMipiov rccv syxoop-iuiv. " He^caUs his. verfes ffiafts
by a metaphor, fignifying the acutenefs artd the ap
plication of his pane^yHc."
, This perfon who .'fs, ver, 3, called Ifrael, cannot'
in any fenfe be Ifaiah'. : That' name in its originalr
defign and full i^nport can only belong to Him, Who
contended; powerfully with God in behalf of man
kind, and .prevailed. Gen. xxxu. 28.
5. And now thus faith jehovah] The word n^,
before "IDJ*, is dropt out ofthe Text: it is fupplied
by eight mss, (two Antient,) and lxx, Syr. "Vulg..
¦ ' Ibid.

S«^ NOTESON CHAP. XLIX.
Ibid. And that Ifrael unto him might be gathered]
Five MSS, (two Antient,) confirm the Keri, or mar
ginal corredlion of the, Maforetes, 1% unto him, in
ftead of vb, ndt, in the Text : and fo read Aquila,
and Chald. lxx, and Arab, omit the negative. But
i,xx, MSS Pachom. and i D. ii. exprefs alfo the
Keribf by ¦z.rpoff avrov.
6. And to reftore the branches of Ifrael] »T5{;>
or ^niSJ, as the Maforetes corredl it in the margijial
reading: this word has-been matter of great doubt
with interpreters : the Syriac renders it the branch,
taking it for the fame wiffi nsa. Chap. xi. i. fee
Michaelis Epim. in Prseledl. xix.
7. The Redeemer of Ifrael, his Holy One] "Forte,
"mnpb" SECKER : that is, to his Holy One. The
preceding word ends with' a b, which might occa
fion that letter's being loft here. The Talmud of
Babylon has itwnpv
Ibid. To him, whofe perfon is defpifed] "Forte,
nta3." SECKER : or^lD, Le Clerc: that is, inftead
of the adlive, the paffive form, which feems here tobe
required. 9. And to thofe that are in darknefs — ] Fifteen^
MSS, (five Antient,) and the two old Editions of
i486 and 1488, add the conjundlioni at the begin
nirig of this member; another ms had it fo at firft ;i
and two others have a rafure at the place : and it is
expreffed by lx:x, Syr. Chald. Vulg.
12. Lo ! thefe ffiall come from afer] *' Babylon
was far, and Eaft, m{DD ; (non fic Vett.) Sinim,
Pelufians, to.the South." segk^r.
Ibid. — the land of Sinim] Pjof Doederlein
ffiought of Syene, the fouthern limit of Eg3rpt ; btit
does not abide by it. Michaelis thinks it is right 5-
and promifes to give his reafons for fo thinking in
ffie Second part of his Specilegium Geographiae He
braeorum

CHAP. XLIX. ISAIAH. 305
braeorum Exterae. See Biblioth. Oriental. Part. xi.
p. 176.
13. 'Ye mountains burft forth]' Three Antient
MSS are withofit either the,>, or the conjundlion ")
before the verb : and fo lxx, Syr. Vulg.
1 6.- Behold, on the palms of my hands have I de
lineated thee] This is certainly an, allufion to fome
pradlice, common among the Jewsat that time, of
making marks On their hands or arms by pundlures
on the fkin, with foiiie fort of fign or reprefentation of
the City or Temple, to ffiew their affedlion and zeal
for it. They had a method of making fuch punc
tures indelible by fire,, or by ftaining, See Note on
Chap. XHV. 5. It is well known, that the pilgrims
at the Holy Sepulchre get themfelves marked in this
manner with what are called the Enfigns of Jerufa
lem. Maundrell, p. 75 ; where he tells us Ii ow it
is performed. : and this art Is pradlifed by ti availing
Jews all over the world at this day.
17. They that deftroyed thee ffiall foon, become
'thy builders — ] " Audlor Vulgata; pro '^'JIl vide
tur legiffe "^'Jlil, unde vertit, ftruSores tui; cui &
LXX. fere eonfentlunt, qui verterunt ccxohiJ.vi%c, a-H-
Jicata es, prout in Plantiniana editione habetur ; in
Vatlcana five Romana legitur, oiKo^op]%o-ii, cedifica-
beris. Hifce etiam Targum Jonathanis aliquatenus
confentit, ubi, & cedificabunt . Confer i.nfra Efai.
cap. LIV. ver. 13. ad quem locum Rabbini quoque
ndtarunt ex tradlatu Talmudico Berachot, c. "ix.
quod non legendum fit 1*J1, Id eft, fi'.ii tui; fed T.P,
adificatores tui. Confer not. ad librum Prec; Judl
part. J I. p. 226. ut & D. Wagenfeil Sot. pag. 253., •
n. 9." Breiffiaupt. Not. ad Jarchi in loc. See alfo
Note on this, place in, De Sac. Poef Hebr. Praeledl.
XXXI. ^ / _
VOL. II. X Ibid. ¦

«o6 IfOTES CN CHAP. XLI«. -
Ibid. — ffiaU become thine offspring] WS'' na»,
ffiall proceed, fpring, iffue,' from thee ; as thy chil
dren. The phrafe Is frequently ufed in this fenfe :
ffee Chap. xi. i. Micah v. e. Nahum i. ii. The
acceffion of the Gentiles to the Church of God is
confidered as an addition made to the number ofthe '
family and children of Sion: fee ver. 21, 2*. and -
Chap. LX. 4. The common rendering, " ffiall go
forth of thee, or depart, from thee," is very flat, af-~
ter their zeal had been expreffed by " ffiall become
thy buildfers :" and as the oppofition is kept up in
one part of the fentence, ,one has reafon to-^xpedl it
in the other, which ffiould have been parallel to it.
18. And bind them about thee,. as a bride— ]-
The end of the fentence is manifeftly imperfedl.
Does a bride bind her chIldren,-or her new fubjedls,
about her ? Sion clothes hdrfelf with her children, as ¦
a bride clothes herfelf, — with what? fome other
thing certainly. The lxx help us out in this diffi
culty, and fupplv the loft word, wj xorpLov vvfj.(prj'
n^D Wtea, or n't^D n^DD. The great fimilitude of
the two words has occafioned the omiffion of one of
ffiein. See Chap. lxi. 10.
21. — thefe then, where were they?] The con
jundlion is added before T]ba, that is, n?**^. In abov*
thirty MSS, (nine Antient;) and fo lxx, "Chald.
Vulg. 23. With their faces to the earth — ] It is well
known, that expreffions of fdbmiffion, homage, and
reverence, always have been, and are ftill, carried
to a great degree of extravagance in the Eaftern
countries. When Jofeph's brethren were introduced
to him, " they bowed down themfelves before him
with ffieir faces to the earth." Gen', xlii. 6. The
kings of Perfia never admitted any one to their pre
fence without exadling this adl of Adoration i for
¦ that was the proper terin for.it. " Neceffe eft, fays the

CHAP. XLIX. ISAlAHi - ^of
the Perfian courtier to Conon, fi in confpedlum ve
neris, venerari te regem; quod 'zu-^oa-xvvnv illi vo
cant." Nepos in Conone. Alexander, intoxicated
with fuccefs, affedled tMs piece of Oriental pride :
*' Itaque more Perfarum Macedonas venerabundos
ipfum falutare, profternentes humi corpora." Cur
tius, Lib. VIII. The infolence of Eaftern monarchs
to conquered princes, and the fubmiffion of the lat
ter, is aftoniffilng. Mr. Harmer, Obf. ir. 43. gives
the following Inftance ofit from D'Herbelot : " This
prince threw himfelf one day on the ground, and
kiffed the prints that his vidlorious enemy's horfe had
made there ; reciting fome verfes in Perfian, which
he had compofed, to this effedl :
" The mark, that the foot of your horfe has left
upon' the dtift, ferves me now for a crown.
The ring, which I wear as the badge of my fla
very, is become my richeft ornament.
While I ffiall have the happinefs to kifs fhe duft
.of your feet, I ffiall think that fortune favours me
with its tendereft careffes, and Its fweeteft kiffes."
Thefe expreffions therefore of the Prophet are only
general poetical Images, taken from the manners of
ffie country, to denote great refpedl and reverence :
and fuch fplendid poetical images, which frequently
occur In the prophetical writings, were intended,
only as general amplifications of the fubjedl, not as
predidlions to be underftood and« fulfiUed precifely
according to the letter.
*4. Shall the prey feifed by the terrible be ref
cued ?] For pfm, read yiy. A palpable miftake,
like that in Chap. xlii. 19. The corredlion is felf-
-evident from the very terms of the fentence ; from
the neceffity of the ftridl correfpondence in the ex
preffions between the queftion and the anfwer made
.to it; audit is apparent to the blindeft and moft'
prejudiced eye. .However, if auffiority is alfo ne-
X a ceffary,-

3o8 NOTES ON CHAP. XLIX.
ceffary, there is that of Syr. and Vulg. for It; wh»
plainly read Y^y in the 24th as well as In the 25 th
verfe, rendering it in the former' place by the fame,
word as In the latter.

CHAP. L.

1. Where is this bill — ] Htffiands, througSt
morofenefs or levity of temper, often fent bills of
divorcement to their wives on flight occafions, as
they were permitted to do by the Law of Mofes,
Deut. XXIV. I. And fathers, being oppreffed with '
debt, often fold their children ; which they .might
do, for a time, till the time of releafe. Exod. xxi. '
7. That this was frequently pradlifed, appears from
many paffages of Scripture ; and that the perfons and
the liberty of the children were anfwerable for the
debts of the father. The widow, 2 Kings iv.. i.
complains, " that the creditor is come to take unto
him her two fons to be bondrhen." And In the pa
rable, Matth. xviii. 25. " the Lord, forafmuch as
his fervent had not to pay, commands him to be
fold, and his wife and children, and all that he had,
and payment' to be made." Sir John Chardin's ms
Note on this place of Ifaiah Is as follows : " En Ori
ent-on paye fes dettes avec fes efclaves, car Ils font
des princlpaiix meubles ; & en plufieurs lieux on les:
paye auffi de fes enfans." But tliis, faith God, can
not be my cafe : I am not governed by any fuch
motives ; neither am I urged by any fuch neceffity :
your captivity therefore and your ¦ afflidlions are to
he

CHAP. L. ISAIAH. 309
be imputed to yourfelves, and to yOur own folly and
wickednefs. ' ;
2. Their fiffi is dried up] < For 'iL>a2n, ftinketh,
seadV2>I\, is dried up: fo it ftands in the Bodleian'
"MS, and it Is confirmed by the lxx, ^ripavSyia-onui.
5. Neither did I withdraw — ] Eleven mss, and
the oldeft Edition, prefix the conjundlion 1 ; and fo
alfo LXX, and Syr.
6. And my cheeks to them that plucked off the
hair] The greateft Indignity that could poffi
bly be offered. See Note on Chap. vii. 20.
Ibid. My, face I hid. not from ffiame and fpitting]
Another Inftance of the utmoft contempt and detef
tatlon. It was ordered by the. Law of Mofes, as a
'fevere puniffiment, carrying with It a lafting dif
grace. Deut. XXV. 9. Among the Medes it was
highly offenfive to fpit In any one's prefence, He
rod. I. 99. and fo likewife among the Perfians, Xe
nophon. Cyrop. Lib. I. p. 18.
" They abhor me ; they flee far from me ;
" They forbear not to fpit in my face."- Job xxx, JO.
And JEHOVAH faid unto Mofes : If her father had
but fpit in her face, ffiould ffie not be affiamed fe
ven days ?" Num. xii, 14. on which place'SIr John
Chardin remarks, that fpitting before any onci, or
fpitting, upon the ground in fpeaking of any one's
adlions. Is through the Eaft an expreffion of extreme
deteftation." Harmer's Obferv. 11. 509. See alfo,
of the fame notions of the Arabs in this refpedl, Nie^
buhr, Defcription de I'Arabie, p. 26. It fo evi
dently appears, that in thofe countries fpitting has
ever been an expreffion of the utmoft . deteftation,
that the learned doubt, whether in the paflages of
Scripture above quoted any thing more is meant
ffian. fpitting (not in the face, which perhaps the
X 3 ' , words

JIO KOTESOW CHAP, t,
words do not neceffarily imply, but only) in ffie
prefence of ffie perfon affronted. But in this place
it certainly means fpitting in the face : fo it is un
derftood in St. Luke, where our Lord plainly refers
to this Prophecy: " AU things that are written by
the Prophets concerning the Son of Man ffiall be ac
compliffied ; for he ffiall be delivered to the Gen^
tiles, and ffiall be mocked and fpitefully entreated^
and fpitted on, spiTflva-driirslat," xvni. 31, 32. which'
was in fadl fulfilled; xai vip^ano rivsg Sfi7f]vsiy avjoo.
Mark XIV. 65. xv. 19. If fpitting in a perfon's pre
fence was fuch an indignity, how much more fpit
ting In his face ?
7. Therefore have I fet my face as a flint—] Th^
Prophet Ezekiel has expreffed this with great force,
in his bold and vehement manner :
*' Behold, I have lUadp thy face ftrong againfl their
faces,
" And thy forehead flrong againfl their foreheads :
*' As an adamant, harder than a rock, have 1 niade thy
" forehead :
" Fear them not, neither be difmayed at thejr looks, '
•• Though they be- a rebellious houfe." Ezek. III. S, 9.
8. Who is he that wiU contend—] The Bod
leian MS, and anoffiei-, add the word Kin ; 3*1* Kin "p,
as in the like phrafe in the next verfe: and in the
very fame phrafe. Job xm. 19. and fo likewife in
many other places. Job xvn. 3. xli. i. Some
times, on the like occafions, it is n^ ^», and nt Kin *Q.
The word has been probably loft out of the prefent'
Text-; and the reading ofthe mss, above mentioned,
feems to be geniilne.
10.' Let him hearken to the voice of his fervant]
For )}W}, .pointed as the Participle, the lxx and
Syr. readyDK?^, Future or Imperative: this gives 'a -

iHAP. LJ tSAIAH. 311
much more elegant turn and diftribution to the fen
tence. " ¦ ¦
II. r— ye who kindle a fire — ] The fire of their
own kindling, by the light of which they walk with
fecurity and fatisfadlion, is an image defigned to
exprefs, in general, human devices, and mere worldly
policy, exclufive of faith and truft in God ; which,
tiiough they flatter them for a wh'de with pleafing
expedlations and fome appearance of fuccefs, ffiall in
the end turn to the confufion of the authors. Or,
more particularly, as Vitringa explains It, it, may
mean the defigns ofthe turbulent and fadlious Jews
in the times fiicceeding thofe of Chrift; who, in
purfuit of their own defperate fchemes, ftirred up
the war againft the Romans, and kindled a fire,
which conluiTied their city and nation.
Ibid, —who heap the ffiel rourtd about] <" *^t1JD,
accendentes, Syr. forte legerunt [pro ntKD] n-KQ ;
nam fequitur niK." secker. Lud. Capellus, In his
critical Notes on this place, thinks it ffioijd be
VytyO) from the lxx, KotriT'x^vdyTss.

CHAP. LI.

4. — O ye peoples ;-—0 ye nations] For i^y,
my people, the Bodley ms, and another, read D''IDy,
ye peoples ; and for ipiK^, my nation., the Bodley ms,
and eight others, (two of them Antiept,) read p-DJ*'?,
ye nations : and fo the Syriac in both words. The
difference is very material : for In this cafe the ad
drefs is made, not to the Jews, but to the Gentiles,
3t 4

3ii notes on CHAP. Lt.
as In all reafon it ought to be : for this and the two
following verfes exprefs the caU of the Gentiles,^ ffie
iflands, or the diflant larids on the coafts of the
Mediterranean and other feas. It Is alfo to be ob
ferved, that God In no other place calls his people
"*aK^. It has been before remarked, tha;t tranfcribers
frequently omitted the final ? of nouns plural, and
fupplied it,, for brevity-fake,, and fOmetimes for
want of room at the end of a line, by a fmall ftroke
¦thus 'laV ; which mark, being effaced or overlooked,
has been the occafion of many miftakes of this
kind. 5. My righteoufnefs Is at hand — ] The word
PI'S, righteoufnefs, is ufed in fuch a great' latitude of
¦fignification, for juftice, truth, faithfulnefs, good
nefs, mercy, deliverance, falvation, &c. that it is
not eafy fometimes to give the precife meaning of
It without much circumlocution ; it means here the
faithful completion of God's promifes -to deliver his"
people. II. — ffiafi they obtain. And forrow and fighing ,-
ffiall flee away] Nineteen mss, and the two oldeft
Editions, have ''J''t:?i; and forty-fix mss, and the'
fame two Editions, and agreeably to them Chald.
and Syr. have 1D31 : and fo both words are expreffed
Chap. xxkv. 10. of.which pl'aCe this is a repetition.
And from comparing both together it appears, that
the 1 in this place is become by miflake in the pre
fent Text the fiiiJil ] of the, preceding word.
1.3. —ofthe oppreffor. As if he^] " The 2 in
ntyjO feems clearly- to have changed its fituation from
the end of the preceding word to the beginning' of
this ; or rather, to have been omitted by miftake
there, becaufe it was here. That it was there, the
LXX ffi.ew by rendering 1p*2i):3n, BKiQ.ovTog &s, of him
that opprefled thee. And fo they render this word
iu both its places in this verfe. The Vulgate alfo iias

CHAP. LI. I SAIAH. 313
has the pronoun in the firft inftance : furoris ejus
qui /£¦, tribulabat." dr. jubS. The corredlion feems
well founded : I have not conformed the tranflation
to It, becaufe It makes very Uttle diffeirence in the
fenfe. 14. He marcheth on with fpeed — ] Cyrus, if
underftood of the temporal Redemption from the
Captivity of Babylon ; in the fpirithal fenfe. The ,
Meffiah. 16. To ftretch out the heavens] In the prefent
Text it is yaa^, to plant the heavens: the phrafe is
certainly very obfcure ; and in all probability. Is a
miftake fOr niD3^. This latter Is the word ufed In
ver. 13, juft before, in the very fame fentence; and
this phrafe occurs frequently in Ifaiah, Chap. xl.
22. XLii. 5. XLIV. 24.. XLV. 12, the former In no
other place.' It Is alfo very remarkable, that in the
Samaritan Text, Num. xxiv. 6. thefe two words
'are twice changed, by miftake, one for the otlier,
'in' the fame verfe.
1 9. Thefe two things— Defolation and deftrudlion,
the famine and the fword] That is, defolation by
'famine, and deftrudlion by the fword; taking the
terms alternately: of which form of conftrudlion fee
other examples, De S. Poefi Heb. Prsel. xix. and
Prelim. Difl'ert. p. xxx. The Chaldee Paraphraft,
not rightly underftanding this, has had recourfe tO
the following 'expedient : " Two afflidlions are come
upon thee, — and when four ffiall come upon thee,
depredation aind deftnitlion, and the famine, and the
fword — " Five mss have 2VT\ without the conjunc
tion 1; and fo LXX, and 'Syr.
Ibid. — who ffiall .comfort thee ?] A ms, lxx,
Syr. Chald. and Vulg. have it in the third Perfon,
'7Dn3'' ; which is evidently right.
20. — in the toils, drenched to the full — ~\ " Forte
CK^D niDDO." secker. The demonftrative n, pre- '
fixed to D'K^D, feems improper in this place.
I 21-

3l4 IfOTES ow CHAF. Lf,
SI. And thou drrtnken, but not with wine.] Mf^
ehylus has the fame expreffion :
aoivoig^s^^avsig Bvpoiip.a(ri. Eumen. 863.
Intoxicate with pafEon, not with wine.
Schultens thinks, that this circumlocution, as he
calls If , " gradum adfert Incomparabifiter majorem ;"
and that It means not fimply without wine, but much ,
more- than with imne. Gram. Hebr.- p. 182. See his
Note on Job xxx. 28,
The bold image of the cup of God's wrath, often
employed by the Sacred Writers, (fee Note on Chap.
i: 22.) is no where handled with greater force and
fublimity than in this paffage of Ifaiah, ver. 17 — -%^.
Jerufalem Is reprefented in perfon as ^ftaggering un
der the effedls of it, deftitute of that affiftance which
ihe might expedl from her children; not one of
them being able to fupport or to lead her. They,
abjedl and amazed, lie at the head of every ftreet,
overwhelmed with the greatnefsx of their diftrefs ;
like the orjrx Intangled in a net. In vain fixuggling -
to rend It, and extricate himfelf. This is poetry of
ffie firft order, fublimity of the higheft proof.
Plato had an Idea fomething like this : " Suppofe,
fays he, God had given to men a medicating potion
inducing fear ; fo that the more any one ffiould drink
of it, fo much the more miferable he ffiould find
himfelf at every draught, and become fearful of
every' thing both prefent and future; ,and at laft,
though the moft courageous of men, ffiould be to
tally poffefled by fear: and afterward, having flept
pff the effedls of it,.- ffiould become himfelf again."
De Leg. i. near the end. He purfues at large this
hypothefis, applying it to his own purpofe, which
has no relation to the prefent fubjedl. Homer places
two veffels at the threffiold of Jupiter., one of good,"
.^le other of evil: he gives to fome a potion mixed 9f

CHAP. Ll. ISAIAH. 31^
of boffi, to offiers from the evil veffel only : thefc
are completely miferable. Iliad, xxiv. 527.
23. — who opprefs thee] " Videntur, lxx,
Chald. Syr. Vulg. legiffe f 31D, ut xl. 26." secker.
And fo it is in Edit. Gerfom.
Ibid. That fay to thee. Bow down thy body] A
very ftrong and moft expreffive defcription of the
infolent pride of Eaftern Conquerors.^ which though
it may feem greatly exaggerated, yet hardly exceeds
the ftridl truth. An example has already been given
ofit in Note to Chap. xlix. 23. I will here add '
one or two more. " Joffiua called for all the men
of Ifrael; and faid unto the captains of the men of
war ffiat went with him : Come near, put your feet
upon thd necks of thefe kings." Joffi. x. 24. *' A-
donibezek faid, Threefcore and ten kings, having
their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered
ffieir meat under my table : as I have done, fo hath
God requited me." Jud. i. 7. The Emperor Vale
rianus being through treachery taken prifoner by
Sapor king of Perfia, was treated by him as the
bafeft and moft abjedl flave : for the Perfian mo
narch commanded the unhappy Roman to bow him
felf down, and offer him his back, on which he fet
his foot, in order to mount his chariot or his horfe,
whenever he had occafion. Ladlantius, De Mort.
yerfec. cap. v, Aurel. Vidlor. Epitome, cap. xxxn.

.CHAE

giS KOTES ON CttAPi'tlJ.

CHAP. LII.

i. ^-afcend thy lofty feat] The literal rendering
here Is, according to our Engliffi tranflation, " a-
rife, fit :" on which a very learned perfon remarks :
" So the old Verfions. But fitting is an expreffion
of mourning in Scripture and the Antients ; 'anddoth
not well agree with the , rifing juft before." It doth
not indeed agree, according to our ideas ; but con
fidered in' an Oriental light It is perfedlly confiftent.'
The common manner of fitting* in the Eafiern coun
tries is upon the ground, or floor, with the legs
croffed. The people of better condition have the
floors of their chambers, or divans, covered with
carpets for this purpofe ; and round the chamber
broad couches, raifed a little above the floor, fpread
with mattrafles handfomely covered, which are called
fophas. When fitting Is fpoken' of as a pofture of
more than ordinary ftate, it is quite of a different
kind ; and means fitting on high, on a chair of ftate
or throne ; for which a footftool was neceffary, both
in order that the perfon might raife himfelf up to It,
ahd for fupporting the legs when he was placed In it.
" Chairs (faith Sir John Chardin) are never ufed In
Perfia, but at the coronation of their kings. The
king is feated In a chair of gold fet with jewels, three
feet high. — The chairs which are ufed by the people
in the Eaft are always fo high, as to make a foot
ftool neceffary. And this proves the propriety of
the ftile of Scripture, which always joins the foot-
' ftool

EHAP. LII. ISAIAH. 317
ftool to the throne." (If. lxvi. i. Pf. ex. i.) "Voy
ages, tom. IX. p. 85. 12"°. Befide the fix fleps to
Solomon's throne, there was a footftool of gold faf
tened to the feat, 2 Chron. ix. 18. which, would
otherwife have been too high for the king to reach,
or to fit on conveniently.
When Thetis comes to wait on Vulcan to requeft
armour for her fon, ffie is received with great re
fpedl, and feated on a filver-ftudded throne, a chair
of ceremony,- with a footftool :
T»jv jjisv STTSira xa^siasv stti Spova'apyvooi^?^,
KaAK, Sc«;S«A£S' vtto ^s Bpr,yvg nrca-iv visv. Jliad. XVIII. 389,
" High on a throne, with ftars of filver grac'd,
" And various artifice, the queen fhe plac'd ;
'« A footftool at her feet." Pope. '
O ya^ Bpovog .a'jrog jj-ovov sXsvQcpiog sgi xjxSs'Spa a-vv viroTro-
&a). Athenaeus, v. 4. "A throne is nothing more
than a handfome fort of chair, with a footftool."
. 5. And they that are lords over them — ] For
l^^lfD, fingular, in the Text, more than a hundred
and twenty mss have r'^ti^a, plural, according to the
Maforetical corredlion In the margin : which ffiews,
that the Maforetes often fuperftitioufly retained apr
parent miftakes in the Text, even v/hen they had
fufficient evidence to authorife the introdudlion of
the true reading.
Ibid. — make their boaft of it] For 'b'brv " made
them to howl," five mss, (two Antient,) have l^^n*
" make their boaft;" which is confirmed by the
Chaldee Paraphraft, who renders it J^nnnt^D.
6. Therefore ffiall my people — ~\ The word p^, oc
curring the fecond time in this verfe, feems to be
repeated by miftake. It has no force or emphafis as
a repetition ; it only embarraffes the conftrudlion
and the fenfe. It was not in the copies, from which. the.

3e8« rotes ow «ffAM.ir.
the LXX, Syr. and Vulg. were traailated : it was not
in ffie copy of ffie lxx, from which the Arabic was
tranflated: but in the -Aldine and Complutenfian
Editions ha rara is repeated; probably fo corredled^
in order to make it conformable with the Hebrew
Text. Ibid. For I am he that promlfed] For Kin, the
Bodley MS, and another, have nin*; " for I am je-
mo VAH that promifed :" ^ and another Antient ms
adds nin» after Kin. The addition of jehovah
feems to be right, in confequence of what was faid
in the preceding line, *' My people ffiall know my
name"
7. How beautiful—] The watchmen difcover
afar off,, on ffie mountains, the meffengef bringing
the expected and much wiffied for news of the deli
verance from the Babyloniffi Captivity. They im
mediately fpread the joyful tidings, ver. 8 ; and with
a loud voice proclaim that jehovah is returning to
Sion, to refume his refidence on his holy mountain,
which for fome time he feemed to have deferted.
This is the literal fenfe of the place.
" How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of
tlie joyful meffenger," Is an expreffion highly poeti
cal ; for, how welcome is his arrival ! how agreeable
are the tidings which he brings !
Nahum, who is generally fuppofed to have lived
after Ifaiah, has manifeftly taken from him this very
pleafing image ; but the imitation does not equal the
•beauty of the original.
*' Behold upon the mountains the feet of the joyful mef-
*' fenger,
*' Of him that announceth peace:
" Celebrate, O Judah, thy feftivals ; perform thy vcvs \
" For no rnore ihall pafs through thee the wicked one ;
*' He is utterly cut off." Nah. i. 15.
But it muft at the fame time be obferved that Ifaiah's
, , fub-„

hlS.KT . L IT, 1 8 A I A «, J I^
fubjedl is infinitely more interefting, and more fub
lime, than that of Nahum : the latter denounces the
deftrudlion of ffie capital of the Affyrian Empire,
the mqft formidable enemy of Judah ; the ideas of
the former are ,in their full ' extent Evangelical; and
accordingly St. Paul has, \with the utmoft propriety,
applied this paffage to the preaching of the Gofpd.
Rom. X. 15. The joyful tidings here to be pro
claimed, " Thy God, O Sion, !reigneth," are the
iame that John the Baptift the meffenger of Chrift,
¦and that Chrift himfelf publiffied, *' The kingdora
«f heaven is at hand."
8. All thy watchmen—] There is a difficulty in
the conftrudlion of this place, which, I think, none
of the antient Verfions, or modem Interpreters, have
cleared up to fatisfadlion. Rendered word for word
it ftands ffius : " The voice of thy watchmen : ffiey
lift up their voice." The fenfe of the fi-rft member^
confidered as elliptical, is varioiiily fupplied by va
rious Expofitors; by none, as It [sims to me, in ai.:. -^
way, that is eafy and natural. I am perfuaded ffie^e
is a miftake in the prefent Text, and, that the trr?
leading is f^ b^, " -11 thy v/?,l-chr;?,en ;" , inftead^ oi
ySi^ b')p. The miftake was ealy from - ths fimilitude
in found of the two letters S a.n.i p. And in one ms
the p is upon a rafure. This corredlion perfedlly
'.redlifies the fenfe and the conia-a-rtion.
Ibid. — when jehovah re';t-:rnet'i ta Sion.] So'
the Chaldee : X(^b TV>rOOV SW na, " v,/hen ii- fnall
bring back his prefence to 'iion" God is confidered,
as having deferted his people during the C-i;/cnnty ;
and at the Reftoration, as returning i-;?.nfe,]f with,
them to Sion his former habitation, litz Pf. lx. i.
Chap. XL. 9. and Note.
9. — he haffi redeemed Ifrael] J^'or the word
Sibvn'', which occurs the fecond time in this verfe,
MS Bodley, and another, read bKTs^"'. It i: upon a
rafure

3*0 KOrES ON CHAP. LII.
rafure in a third; and left uupolnted at firft, as fuf
pedled, in a fourth. It was an eafy miftake, by the
tranfcriber's cafting his eye on the line above : and
the propriety of the corredlion, both In regard to
fenfe and elegance, is evident.
1 1 . Depart, depart ye ; go ye out from thence]
The Prophet Jeremiah feems to have had his eye on
this paffage of Ifaiah, and to have applied it to a
fubjedl diredlly oppofite. It Is here addreffed by
thr; Prophet 'in the way of encouragement and ex-
iibrtation to the Jews coming out of Babylon : Jere
miah has giveri it a different turn, and has thrown
it out, as a reproach of the Heathen upon the Jews,
when they were driven from Jerufalem into capti-vlty :
" Depart; ye are polluted, depart ye, forbear to
" touch :.
"Yea, they are fled, they are removed: they
" ffiall dwell here no more." Lament, iv. 15.
Of the metrical, diftribution of thefe lines, fee the
Prelim. Differtation, -p. lvii, Note.
13. The fubjedl of Ifaiah's Prophecy, from the
Fortieth Chapter Inclufive, has hitherto been, in ge
neral, the Deliverance of the people of God. This
includes In it three diftindl parts ; which, howevfer,
have a clofe connedlion with one another : that is,
the, deUverance of the Jews from the captivity of Ba
bylon ; the deliverance of the Gentiles from their ,
miferable ftate of Ignorance and Idolatry ; and the
deliverance of Mankind from the captivity of fin and
death. Thefe three fubjedls are fubordinate to one
another ; and the two latter are ffiadowed out under
the iniage of the former. They are covered by It as
by a veil ; which however is tranfparent, and fuffers
them to appear through it. Cyrus Is expreffly named
as the immediate agent of God in effedling the firft
' de^

CHAP, LII. ISALAH. , 33I
deliverance. A greater Perfon is fpoken of as the
agent, -who is to effedl the two latter deliverances;
caUed the Servant, the Eledl, of God, In whoni his
foul delighteth ; Ifrael, in whom God will be glori
fied. Now thefe three fubjedls have a very near re
lation to one another ; for, as the agent, who was to
effedl the two latter deliverances, that is, the Meffi
ah, was to be born a Jew, with particular limitations
of time, family, and other circumftances; the firft
deliverance was neceffary in the order of Providence,
and according to the determinate counfel of God,
to the accompliffiment of the two latter deliverances';
and the fecond deliverance was neceffary to the third,
or rather, was Involved in it, and made an effential
part of it : this being the cafe, Ifaiah has not treated
the three fubjedls as quite diftindl and feparate in a
methodical and orderly manner, like a philofopher
or a logician, but has taken them in -their connec
tive view ;, he has handled them as a prophet and a
poet ; he hath allegorifed the former, and under the
image of it has ffiadowed out the two latter ; he has
thrown them all together, has mixed one with ano- ,
ther, has paffed from this to that with rapid tranfi-
. tions, and has painted the whole with the ftrongeft
and boldeft imagery. The reftoration of the Jews
from Gapfiyity, the call of the Gentiles, the redemp
tion by Meffiah, have hitherto been handled inter
changeably and alternately: Babylon has hitherto
been kept pretty much in fight ; at the fame time,
that ftrong -intimations of fomething much greatef-
have frequently been thro-Wri in. But here .Babyloa
is at once dropped ; and I think hardly ever come^
in fight again: unlefs perhaps in chap. lv. 12. and
LVII. 14. The Prophet's- views are' almoft whoUy
engroffed by the fuperior part of his fubjedl. He
introduces the Meffiah appearing at firft In the loweft
ftate of hiMiiiliatlbnj which he had.juft- touched upon
VOL. II. Y be^

!}Ta NOTES ON CHAP. LII.
before, . (chap. L. 5,6.) and obviates the offence,
which would be occafioned by it, by declaring the
important and neceffary caufe of It, and foreffiewing.
the glory which" ffiould follow it.
This feems to me to be the nature and the true
defign of this part of Ifaiah's Prophecies ; and this
vievv of them feems to afford the beft method of re
folving difficulties, In which Expofitors are fre-
^ quently engaged, being much divided between what
is called, the Literal, and the Myftical fenfe, not very
properly ; for the myftical or fpiritual fenfe is very
often the moft literal fenfe of all.
Abarbanel feems to have had an idea of this kind,
as he is quoted by Vitringa on Chap. xlix. i. who
thus reprefents his fentiments : " Cenfet Abarbanel
Prophetam hic tranfttum facere a Liberatione ex exilio
Babylonico ad Liberationem ex exilio Romano^ (for this
he takes to be the fecondary fenfe;) &,, quod hic
animadverfu dignum eft, obfervat Liberationem ex
Exilio Babylonico effe n^Kni niK, fignum & argu-
mentum Liberationis futurae ; atque adeo orationem
Prophetas de duabus hifce Llberationibus in fuperio
ribus Concionlbus fgepe inter fe permifceri. Verba
ejus : ' Et propterea verba, five res, in prophetia
fuperiore inter fe permlxtse occurrunt ; modo de Li
beratione Babylonica, modo de Liberatione Extre-
ma accipiendse, ut orationis neceffitas exigit.' Nul
lum hic vitium, nifi qltod Redemptionem veram &
fpiritualem a Meffia vero Jefu addudlam non ag-
nofcat." ¦' 14. — were aftoniffied at him] For i^^y read V^:
fo Syr. Chald. and Vulg. in a Mg : and fo likewife
' two Antient mss.
• 15. So ffiall he fprinkle many nations] I retainr
the common rendering, though I am by no means
fatisfied with it. " nP, frequent in the Law, means.;
only to fprinkle ; but tho- water fprinkled. is ffie Ac-^
cufative

GHAP. Llli is AIAH* 323
cufative Cafe ; fhe thing, on which, has bv or Vk.
&^v[/.a(rovl«t, 0, makes the beft Apodofis. an]'' would
do. ^^ny Is ufed II. a.- Jer xxxi. 13. li. 44. but
is unlike. Kings ffiall ffiut, &c. is good ; but feems
to Want a firft pdrt." secker. Muniier tranflates
it, " faciet loqui (de fe) ; and In his l?46te thtls ex
plains it : nt' proprie fignificat fpargere & ftillas dif
feminare : hic vero capitur pro loqui, & verbum dif
feminare." This is pretty much as the Rabbil^s, Klm^
chi, and Salomo ben Melec, explain it, referring t6
the expreffion of "dropping the vt-ord." But the
fame objedlion lies to this as to the common render
ing ; it ought to be D'li bV (nil) nP. Biffiop Chand
ler, Defence, p. 148, fays, " that to fprinkle, is
ufed for to furprife and aftoniffi, as people arfe that
have much water thrown upon them. And this fenfe
is followed by the lxx." This is ingenious, , but
rather too refined. Dr. durell conjedlures, that,
the true reading may be itn', they ffiall regard,
which cc mes, neap to the ^aLi/.to;crw7«^ ofthe lxx;
who feem to give the beft fenfe: df any to the place.
" I find in my papers the fame conjedlure, which
Dr. nuRELL made from Bavjj.aa-oyjm im lxx. And
it may be added, that ntn is ufed to exprefs " look
ing on any thing with admiration ;" Pf. xl. 7. and
XVII. 15. and xxvii.4. and lxiii. ,2. Cant. vr. 13.
It is particularly applied to " looking on God," Ex.
XXIV. 11. and Job xix. 26. Glibert Cupeij in
Obferifat. lib. 11. i. though aliud agens, has fomle
obfervations which ffiew how nearly o^au and Bav-.
imi^oo are allied, which ,(with the pecufiar fenfe of
the verb ntn above noted) add to the probability of
. StxiVpLatrovloii. being the verfion of Itni in the ^ext : u
h vv Kaot IJavjsg sg avjov opoca-t. Hefiod. id eft, cum
veneratione quadam admirantur. Hinc opxM & Bav-
^a^w junxit Themiftius Or. i. cija -zssavs-ovlai 01 «v-
$piA,'!FOi ts^og OS p.ovov o^iAivlsg,. -Kat tys ^wov ^avjj.a(^o^bg.
X 2 Theo-

324 NOTES ON CHAP. LIII.
Theophraftus in Charadl. cap. in. Ev^u/xjj «V osttsS^s-
•n-aa-iv sig as orav^ctrrrot. Hence ffie rendering of this
verfe feems to be;
So many nations fhall look on him with adnairation ;
Kings fhali flop llieii: mouths-^." ©r. jtfBB.

CHA P. LIIL

4. He haffi no form, nor a;ny beauty — 1 Oo?t si-
Sof avrod, »§£ oc^tup.«, Iva sOSup-sv civroT k^e Bsupiot, Ivet
errSvifMP'Sv avrov. Symmachus ; the only one of the
Antients, that has tranflated it rightly.
3. —and acquainted with grief, — ]- For yiTI,
eight MSS,' and one Edition, havejTPI; lxx, Syr.
and Vulg. read it TSn.
Ibid. — a^ one that hideth his face] For njIDDDT,
four MSS, (two Antient,) have , n^nDD31, one ms
"ITlDlSff. For D'>39, two mss have V33; and likewife
LXX and Vulg: Mourners covered up the lower
part of their faces^, and their heads ; a Sam. x v. 30.
Ezek. XXIV. 17. and lepers were commanded by the
Law, Lev. xi 11. 45. to cover their upper lip. From.
which circumftance it feems, that Vulg. Aquila,.
Symmachus, and the: Jewiffi Commemators, have
taken the word J?133, ftricken, In the next verfe, as
meaning ftrlcken with the leprofy, sv «(p»i ovju. Sym,
a(pYip.mv, Aq. leprofum, Vulg.
^ 4. Surely our infirmities — ] Seven mss, (tw*
Aritient,) and three Editions, have W^^n, in the"
Plural Niimber. Ibld»

CHAP. nil. ISAIAH. 325
Ibid. — He hath carried them] Fifteen mss, (two
Antient,) and two Editions, haveMie word «in be
fore D^2D In the Text : four other mss Imve it in the
Margin. This adds force to the fenfe, andelegance
to the conflrudlion. •
5, --^by which our peace -is effedled] ' Twemy-
one MSS and fix Editions have the word fully and
regularly expreffed, 13'D^!^ ; " pacificationum nof
trarum." Ar. Montan.
6. — the iniquities of us all] For Jiy, the antient
Interpreters read JilJiy, Plural; and fo Vulg iii ms
Blanchini. 8. And his manner of life who would declare ?]
My learned Friend DR. kennicott has communi
cated to me the following paffages from the Miffina,
and the Gemara of Babylon, as leading to a fatis-r
fadlory explication of this difficult place. It is faid
in the former, that, before any one was puniffied
for a capital crime, proclamation was made, before
the prifoner by the public cryer In thefe words '.
^bif-'V±>•'^ K3^ niDt 1^ yrVVf »D te, " quieunque no
verit aliquid de ejus. Innocentia, veniat & doceat de
eo." Tradl. Sanhedrim. SurenhUs. par. iv. p. 233.
On which paflage the Gemara of Babyl»n adds, that,
" before-the death of Jefus, this proclamation was
made for forty days ; but no defence could, be found."
On which words Lardner obferves, " It is truly fUr-*
prifing to fee fuch falfities, contrary to well known
fadls." Teftimonies, vol. i. p. 198. The report is
certainly falfe : but this falfe report is founded oin
the fuppofition, that there was fuch a cuflom, and
fo far confirms the account above given from th^
Miffi:na. The Miffina was compofed in the middle
of the fecond Century, according to Prideaux ; Lard
ner afcribes it to the year of Chrift 1 8o-.
Cafaubon has a quotation from Maimonides, which
furffier confirms this account : Exercitat. in Baronii
Y 3 Aonales,

^2.6 NOTES ON CHAP. LIII.
Annales, Art. lxxvi. Ann. 34, Num. 119. J*Anc-
tor eft Maimonides ih Perek xiii. ejus Libri ex
opere Jad, folitum fieri, ait cum Reus, fententiam
mortis paffus, a loco judicii exibat ducendus ad fup
plicium, prsecederet ipfum tmsn, Kijpv^, praeco ; &
haec verba diceret : Ille exit occidendus morte .ilia,
quia tranfgreffus eft tranfgfeffione ilia, iri loco illo,
tempore il/o, & funt ejus rei teftes ille h ille. Qui no ^
verit allquid ad ejus innoCentiam probandam, veniat,
& loqifiatur pro eo."
, Now it is plain from the hiftory of the' Four Evan
gelifts, that In the trial and' condemnation of Jefus
no fuch rule was obferved ; (though, according to
the account of the Miffina, it muft have been In
pradlice at thaf time ;) no proclamation was made
for any perfon to bear witnefs to the; innocence and
i:haradler of Jefus ; nor did any one voluntarily ftep
forth to give their atteftation to It. And our Saviour
feems to refer to fuch a cuftom, and to claim the
benefit of It,~ by his anfwer to the High Prieft, when
he afked him of his difciples and of his dodlrine!
*' Ifpake openly to the world; I ever taught in the
Synagogue and In the Temple, whither the Jews al
ways refort; a-fid in fecret have I faid nothing. Why
afkfeft thou'me ? afk them wfiich heard me, what I
have faid-' unto them: behold, they know what I
laid." John xvm, 20, 2.1. This therefore was one
remarkable Inftance of hardffilp and Injuftice, among
ethers, predidled by the Prophet,, which our Savi
our imderwfent in his trial and fufferings.
St. Paul likewife, in ijjmilar circumftances, ftand
ing before the gudgemeht feat of Feftus, feems to
complain of the fame unjuft treatment ; that no one
was called, or would appear to vindicate his charac
ter. , " My manner of life (tjjv ^lua-tv p.ov, nn,)
fiom my youth, which was at the firft among my
own nation at Jerufalem, know all the Jews : which kneiy^

CHAP. LIII. IS A'l AH. 327
knew m'e from the beginning, if they would teftify';
that ^fter the ftraiteft fedl of our religidn I lived a
Pharifee." Adls xxvi. 4, 5.
mn fignifies age, duration, the time, which one
man or many together pafs in this world ; in this
place, the courfe, tenor, Or manner of life. The
verb nn fignifies, according to Caftell, "ordinatam
vitam five aetatem egit, ordinavit, ordltte conftituit."
In Arabic, " curavit, admlniftravit."
Ibid. — he was fmitten to death] The lxx read
TKib, sig'Bavalov. And fo the Coptic and -Sahidic
Verfion^ from lxx, mss St. Germain de Prez.
" Origen (contra Ceiftun, lib. i. p. 370, Edit.
J733-) after having quoted at large this Prophecy
concerning the Meffiah, tells us, that having once
made ufe of this paffage In a difpute againft fome,
that ^ere accounted wife among the Jews ;' one of
them replied, that the words did not mean one Man,
but one People, the Jews ; who were fmitten of God,
and difperfed among the Gentiles for their conver
fion : that he then urged many parts of this Pro
phecy, to ffiew the .abfurdity 'of this interpretation ;
and that he feemed to prefs them the hardeft by this
fentence; ojtto rooy avopuciov tb Kan \ui-rty^r\ sig Bayoijov.
Now as Origen, the author ofthe Hexapla, muft have
' underftood Hebrew, we cannot fuppofe that he
would have urged this laft quotation, as fo decifive,
if the Greek Verfion had not agreed here with the
Hebrew Text : nor that thefe wife Jews would have
been at all dlftreffed by this quotation, unlefs- their
Hebrew Text had read agreeably to sig Buyixjov, on
which the argument principally depended : for, by
quoting it immediately, they would have triumphed
over him, and reprobated his Greek Verfion. This,
when ever they could do it, was their conftant prac-.
tice, in their difputes with the Chriftians. Jerom,
in his Preface to the Pfalms, fays, ^' Nuper emn
y 4 Hebr?'

«2,8 notes ON CHAP.. LIII.
Hebrjep difputans, quae.dam -pro Domino falvatore
de Pfalmis teftimonia protufifti : volenfque ille te il
ludere, per fermones fere fingulos aflerebal, non ita
haberi in Hebraeo, nt tu de lxx opponebas," . And
Origen himfelf,, 'who laborioufly compared the He
brew Text with the lxx, has recorded the neceffity
^f asgulng with the Jews from fuch paffages only, as
were in the lxx agreeable tp the Hebrew; Iva rzpog
JiiSaioig ^laKsyojXsvoi fxri, Zij^o^Spcujj.iv ifcvjo g roc ^r, xsifjisvoi ^v
roig ayjiypoc^oig ocvjuiv, xai ha, a-vyxp^a-co^SM rotg (plpopt-s-
votg -ma^' sxiivoig. See Epift. ad African, p. 15, .17.
Wherefore as Origen has carefiiUy compared the
Greek Verfion of lxx with the Hebrew Text, and
as he puzzled and confounded the learned, Jews, by
urging upon them the reading sig Bavajov ia this
place ; its feems almoft Impoffible not to conclude,
both from Origen's argument and the filenqe of his
Jewiffi adverfaries, .that the Hebrew Text at, that
time adlually had niQ^j agreeably to the Verfion. of
the LXX." DR. kennicott.
9. But tyith the rich man was his tomb] Among
the various .opinions, which have been gi\ en on this
paffage, I have no doubt In giving my affent tp tfiat
which, makes the 3 in ViTian radical, and renders it
excelfa Jua, This is mentioned by Aben Ezra, as re
ceived by fome in his time ; and has been long fince
approved by Schindler, Drufius, and many other
learned Chriftian interpreter?.
' The moft fimple tombs or monuments of old con
fifted of hillocks of earth heaped up over the grave :
of which we have numerous examples in our own
country, generally allowed to be of very high anti
quity. . The Romans called a monument of this
fort very properly tumulus; and the Hebrews as
properly fl1D3, for that Is the form of the noun
in the Singular Number ; and fixteen mss, and the
two oldeft Editions, exprefs the word fully in this
4 place^

CHAP. LIII. ISAIAH.. 34.9
place, vrjioa- *' Tumulus & collem & fepulchrum
fuiffe fignificat. Poteft enim tumulus .fine fepulchro
interpretatione cpUis interdum accipl. Nam & terrse
congeftip fuper offa tumulu^ dicitur " Servius, in
.^Eneid iir. 22. And to make the tumulus ftill
more elevated and confpicuous, a pillar or fome
other ornament was often eredled upon itt
TvjJ^ov ysvavrsg, xat S'tti gi^hrjv spva-cvrsg,
TlT^^ap-sv oiXjporaru) tUjwSw sv^p^g s^-r^ov. Odyff. xit. 14.^
'• A rifing tomb, the filent dead to grace,
" Fail by the roarings of the main we place ;
" The rifing tomb a lofty column bore,
*' And high above it rofe the tapering oar." Popii.
.T-hc'tomb therefore might -with great propriety be
called the high place. The Hebrews might alfo call
fuch a tomb maiJ, from the fituation ; for they ge
neraUy chofe to eredl them on eminences. The fe
pulchre of Jofeph of Arimathea, in which the body
of Chrift was laid, was upon a liiU, mount Calvary.
See Chap. xxn. 16. and the Note there.
" It fhould be obferved, that the word VrHD3. is
not formed from- niD3, the Plural of nD3, the Fe
minine Nounrj- but from pTIlM, the Plural of a
Mafculine. Noun, rf\'Ci2- This is noted, becaufe
thefe two Nouns have been negligently confounded
with one another, and abfurdly. reduce4 to one, by
very learned men. So Buxtorf, Lex.inv. nD3, re
prefents ""Jiiaa, though plainly wiffiout any Pronoun
fuffixed, as It governs the word 'pia foUowing it, as
only another forni of niai :. whereas the truth is,
that niD3 and p^niDl are different words, and have
ffirough the whole Bible very different fignificationa.
nD2, whether occurring in ffie Singular or Plural
Number, always fignifying " a place, or places, of
worffiip :" and p^niDl always, fignifying " highths.", Thus

,330 NOTES ow eHAP. LIU.
Thus is Detlt.. XXXII. 13. Ifai. lviii. 14'. Amos iv.
13.' and Mic. i. 3. V"l» 'TWn fignifies "the highths
of ffie earffi." Ifai. xiv. 14. 2V *niM, " the
highths of the clouds ;" and in Job ix. 8. D* *niM,
• *' the highths of the fea," I. e. the high waves of
tthe fea, as Virgil calls a wave ** praeruptus aquse
mons." Thefe being all the places, where this word
occurs without a fuffix, the fenfe of it feems near
ly determined by them. It occurs in other" in
ftances with a Pronoun fuffixed, which confirm
this, fignification. Unluckily our Engliffi Bible
has not diftinguiffied fhe Feminine Noiln nn2
from the 'Mafculine Singular Noun nini; and
has confequently always given the fignification
of the latter to the former, always rendering it "a
high place :" whereas the true fenfe of the word ap-» ,
pears plainly to be, in the very numerous paflages in
which it occurs, "a place of worffiip," or "a fa
cred Court," or " a facred Inclofure ;" whether ap
propriated to the worffiip of idols, or to that of the
.true God;; for it is ufed of both paffim. Now as
the Jewifh graves are fhewn, from a Chron. xxxir.
33. and Ifai. xxii. 16. to have been in high fitua-
tions ; to which may be added the cuflom of ano-
, ther Eaftern nation from Offieck's Travels, who faySj
vol. I. p. 339. " The Chinefe graves are made on
the fide of hills:" " his highths" becomes a very
eafy metaphor to exprefs " his fepulchre." dr.
., JUB,B. ; '
¦ The e!xadl completion of this Prophecy wiU be
,fuUy ffiewn by adding here the feveral clrCumftances-
,.of the burial of Jefus, coUedled from the accounts
of the Evangelifts :
" There was a rich man of Arimathea, named Jo
feph, a member of the Sanhedrim, and of a refpedl-,
able charadler, who had not confented to their coun
fel and adl : he went to Pilate,. andbegged the, body of

GHAP. LIII. ISA.IAH. 33I
of Jefus ; and'he laid It in his own new tomb, whicli
had been hewn out of the rock, near to the place
where Jefus was crucified ; having firft wound it in
fine linen with fpices, as the manner of ffie Jews
was to bury the rich and great,"
10. ¦ — with griefjf For'i'jnn, the Verb, the con
ftrudlion of which feems to be hard and inelegant in
this place, Vulgi reads ^Vni, in infirmitate.
Ibid. If his foul ffiaU make—] For nn^n, a ms
has Dtt'n, which may be taken'; paffively. "If -his
foul ffiall be made^ — " agreeably to fome copies of
lXx, which have Sw/ai. So likewife Syr.
II. —^and .be fatisfied — ] lxx, Viilg. Syr. and
a Ms, add the conjundlion to the verb ; 3;ity>1.
Ibid. — ffiall my fervant juftify] Three mss,
(two of them Antient,) omit the wbrd pHiJ; it feems
to be only an impeirfedl repetition, by miftake, of
ffie preceding word. It makes a folecifm in, this
place : for according to the conftant ufage of the
Hebrew language, the adje(9fiye, in a phrafe of this
kind, ought to follow the filbftantlve ; and 'n2Vpns
\n Hebrew would be as abfurd as " ffiall tny fervant
righteous ]uftify," in Engliffi.. Add to this, that it
makes the Hemiftich too long, i
12. And made interceffion — ^J For y*J9*, in the
Future, a MS has V^iSn, Preterit; rather _ better, as
agreeable with the offief verbs- immeidiately preceding
in the fentence, '¦ , : •:•.

CHAP.

33S notes on • CHAP. LIV;

CHAP. uv.

I. l3?iout for joy, O thou barren — ] The Church
©f God under the Old Teftament, confined within
the narrow- bounds of the Jewiffi nation, and ftill
more fo In refpedl of the very fmaU nuihbfer gf true
believers, and which fometimes feemed tO be deferr
ed of God her huffiand ; Is the barren vO-omarr, that did
not bear, and was defolate : ffie is exhorted to rejoice^-
and to exprefs her joy In the ftrongeft manner, oil
the reconciliation of her huffiand, fee ver. 6 an^
on the acceffion of the Gentiles to her family. The
converted Gentiles are all alongconfidered by the Pro
phet, as a new acceffion of adopted children', admitted
intothe Original Church of God, 'artd united with it.
See Chap. xlix. ao, ai.
4. For thou ffialt forget — ] -" Shame of thf
youth ; i. e. the bondage of Egypt : widowhood^
the captivity of Babylon.** secker.
., 7. In a little anger-^] So the Chald. and Syiv
either reading 01 for yjn ; or underftanding the lat
ter word as meaning the fame with the former,
which they both make ufe' of. See Pf. xxx. 5.
^cxxv. ab. in lxx. where they render yan by o^y^.
8. I hid my face [for a moment] from thee]- The
word yan Is omitted by lxx', Syr. and two mss. It
feems to embarrafs rather than to help the fentence.
" Forte reponi debet pro f\)W, q\;iod poteft a f\^p er
rore fcribae originem duxifle." secker. 9. — as

CHAP. LIV. ISAI AH. 333
9. — as in.the days of Noah] ^a»3, ift one word,
in a MS, and fome Editions; and fo Syr. Chald.
Vulg. Sym. Theod. Abarbanel, Salomo b. Melec,
and Kimchi, acknowlege, that their copies vary in
ffils place.
II, 12. Behold, I lay thy ftones — ] Thefe feem
to be general images to exprefs beauty, magnifi
cence, purity, ftrength, and folidity, agreeably tb
the Ideas ofthe Eaftern nations; and to have never
been intended to be ftridlly fcrutinized, or minutely
and particularly explained, as if they had each of
them fome precife moral or fpiritual meaning. To
bit, in Jus Prophecy ofthe final reftoration of Ifrael,
defcribes the New Jerufalem in the fame Oriental
manner: ** For Jerufalem ffiall be built up with
fapphlres, and emeralds, and precious ftones; thy
walls, and towers, and battlements, with pure gold.
And the ftreets of Jerufalem ffiall be paved wiffi
beryl, and carbuncle, and ftones of Ophir." Tob.
XIII. 16, 17. Compare alfo Rev. xxi. i8 — 21.
15. — ffiall come over to thy fide] For ^1S^,
twenty-ei^t mss, (eight Antient,) haye ^9^, in its
more common form. For the meaning of ffie word
m this place, fee Jer. xxxvn. 13.

CHAP.

334 IfOTES-ON CHAP. LT^

CHAP. LV.

9. For as the heavens are higher—^] I am pei'-
fuaded, that 2, the particle of comparifon, is loft irt
this place!, from the likenefs of the particle 13 itn-
mediately preceding it. So Houbigant, and sec
ker. And their remark is confirmed by all^he an
tient Verfions, which exprefs it : and by the foUow
ing paffage of Pfalm cm. 1 1, which is almoft the
lame : •part ^y ca^y nnas •<2
: VKT" "^y non naa
" For as the heavens are high above the earth,
" So high is his goodnefs o'v'er them that fear him."
Where, ^by the nature of the fentence, the verb iil
the fecond line ought to be the fame with that In the
firft: nia, notnia: fo Archbifliop Secker conjec
tured ; referring however to Pf. cxvri. 2.
12. The mountains and the hills — ] Thefe are
highly poetical images, to exprefs a happy ftate at
tended with joy and exultation.
" Ipfi lastitia voces ad fidera jaftant
" Intonfi montes ; ipfa; jam carmina rupcs,
" Ipfa fonant arbufla." ' "Virg. Eel. v.
13. Inftead of the thorny bufhes — ] Thefe like-
wife (fee Note on the preceding verfe, and on Chap.
LIV. II.) are general poetical Images, expreffing a
great and happy change for the better. The wilder
nefs turned into a paradife, Lebanon into Carmel :
6 the,

CHAP. LV. ISAIAH. 335
the defert of the Gentiles watered with the heavenly
fnow and rain, which fail not to have their due ef
fedl, and becoming fruitful in piety and righteouf
nefs : or as the Chaldee gives the moral fenfe of the
emblem, " inftead ofthe wicked ffiall arife the juft,
and inftead of finners, fuch as fear to ' fin." Com-'
pare Chap. xxxv. i, 2. xli. 19.
Ibid. And Inftead of — ] The Conjundlion vis
added, nnm, in forty-five MS s, and five Editions;
and it Is acknowleged by all the antient Verfions.
The Maforetes therefore might have fafely received
it Into the Text, and not have referred us for It to
the margin.

CHAP. LVI.

5- — ^will I give them] For 1^ In the fingular, it
is evident, that we ought to read lb^ in the plural :
fo read lxx, Syr. Chald. and Vulg.
7. — ffiall be accepted] A word is here loft out
of the Text : it is fupplied frotn the lxx, Vn% ' sa-oy-
T«.'. Houbigant.
9. O all ye beafts of the field—] Here manifeftly
begins a new fedlion. The Prophet, in the • fore
going Chapters, havlrtg comforted the faithful Jews
with many great promifes of God's favour to be ex
tended to them. In the reftoration of their riMned
ftate, and of the enlargement of his Church by the
admiffion of the Gentiles ; here, on a fudden, makes
a tranfition to the more difagreeable part bf the pro
fpedl : and to a ffiarp reproof Of the wicked and un
believers, and efpecially of the negligent and falth lefs

33^ notes ON CHA:^. liVr,
lefs governors and teachers. Of the idola,ters and hy
pocrites, who wotdd ftill draw down his judgements
upon the nation. Probably having In view the de
ftrudlion of their city and polity by the Chaldeans,
and perhaps by the Romans. The fame fubjedl is
continued Irt the next Chapter; in which the charge
of corruption and apoftacy becomes more general
againft ihe whole Jewiffi Church. Some Expofitors
have made great difficulties in the 9th verfe of this
Chapter, where there feems to be none.. It is per
fedlly well explained by Jeremiah; where having
introduced God declaring his purpofe of punlffiing
his people, by giving them up as a prey to their
enemies the Chaldeans, a charge to thefe' his agents
is given in words very nearly the fame with thofe of
Ifaiah in this place : , -
" I have forfaken my houfe ; I have deferted my heri-
«' tage ;
" I have given up the beloved of my foul into the hands
" of her enemies.-^
'" Come away, be ye, gathered togetlifir, all ye beafls of
"the field 1
"Come away to devour." Jer. xii. 7, g.
Ibid. — ^beafts of the fofeft] Inftead of ny»3,
three mss have nys without the Prepofition : which
feems to be right ; and is confirmed by all the an
tient Verfions.
10. — dum»b dogs, they canftot bark] / See below
Note on Chap. lxii. 6.
Ibid. .'Dreamers] atn, ivwiyia^op-syoi, lxx. This
feems' to be the beft authority for the meaning, of
this word, which occurs only in this place : but it
is to be obferved, that three mss, artd three Edi
tions, havq atn ; and fo Valg. feems to have read ;
videntes vana.
i2i — ^let us provide wine] For nnpit, firft per-
foji fingular, an Antient Ws has nnp3, firft perfOn
plural ;

CHAP. LVir. ISAIAH. ,*,337
plural; and another Antient ms has pa upon a ra
fure. So Syr. Chald. and Vulg. render it.

C H A. P. LVII.

a. He ffiall go in peace] Oi'jty NIlS the expref
fion is elliptical, fuch as ffie Prophet frequently ufes.
The fame fenfe is expreffed at large and in full terms,
Gen. XV. 85. u)b^2 yrr\2a ^^» Kinn nfiNi, " And
" thou ffialt go to thy fathers" in peace."
Ibid. — he ffiall reft in his bed; Even the perfedl
man] This obfcure fentence is reduced to a per
fedlly good fenfe, and eafy conftrudlion, by an in
genious remark of Dr. durell. He reads bv ni3''
on llDtyO. Two m:ss, (one of them Antient,) have
nias fingular; and fo Vulg. renders it, requiefcat.
The verb was probably altered to make it plural, and
fo confiftent with what follows, after the miftake had
been made In the following words, by uniting laSlt^D
and on into one word. See Merrick's Annotations
on the Pfalms, Addenda ; where the reader will find,
that J. S. Moerlius by the fame fort of corredlion,
and by refcuing the adjedlive Dn, yvhich had been
fwallowed up In another word in the fame manner,
has reftored to a clear fenfe a paffage before abfo- .
luteLy unintelligible :
id"? nin^snn i"?* >d
'.ubya xnni nn
" For no (jiftrefies happen to them ;
*' Perfeft and tirra is their flrength." Pf. i.xxin..4v
VOL. II. z 6. Among

338 notes on GHAP. LVlJ.
6. A^ioftg the fmooth ftones of the vaUey— J
The Jews were extremely addidled to the pradlice of
many fuperftitious and idolatrous rites, which the
Prophet here -Inveighs againft with great vehemence.
Of the worffiip of rude ftones tonfecrated there are
many teftimonies of the ancients. They were called
BairvXoi and BanvXia ; probably from the ftone which
Jacob eredled at Bethel, pouring oil upon the top of
ft. The pradlice was very conimon In different ages
and places. Arnobius, Lib. i. gives an account of
his own pradlice in this refpedl, before he became
a Chriftian: "Si quando ' confpexeram hibricatuhi
Iapidem*, & ex olivi unguine fordidatum ; tanquam
ineffet vis praefens, adulabar, affabar, & beneficia
pofcebam nihil fdntiente de trunco." Clemens Alex.
Strom. Lib. vii. fpeaks of a worffiiper of every
fmooth ftone in a proverbial way, to denote one
given up to fuperftition. And accordingly Theb-
phraflus has marked this as one flrong, feature In the
charadler of the Superftitious man : Kai roov 7Ki7iupuiv
Xi^ooy ruiv sv raig r^to^otg Zirapiujv, sk rrig KrixvQov sXa.oy
"VMrayjlv, xai sm yovar'a ¦ufscrocv xai rsp^OTXvvr^-jag arcaK-
T^a-fjecrSai. " Paffing by the anointed ftones In the
ftreets, he takes out his phial of oil, and pours it
on them ; and having fallen on his knees, and made
his adorations, he departs."
8. Behind the door, and the door-poft, haft thou
fet thy memorial] That is, the Image of their tute
lary gods, or fomething dedicated to fhem ; in di
redl oppofition to the Law of God, which com
manded them to write upon the door-pofts of their
houfe, and upon their gates, the words of God's
Law. Deut. vi. 9. xi. 20. If they chofe for them
fuch a fituation as ..more private; it was in defiance
of a^ particular curfe denouriced in the Law againft
the man, who fliould make a graven or a molten
image, and put it in a fecret place. Deut. xxvii.

CHA^. LVir. ISAIAH. 339
15. An Antient ms, with another, has nnj*, With
out the conjundlion 1.
9. And thou haft vifited the king with a prefent
of oil] That Is, the king of Affyria', or Egypt.
Hofea reproacheth the Ifraelites for the fame prac
tice :
" They make a covenant with Affyria,
" And oU Is carried to Egypt." , Hof. xli^ r.
It Is well known, that in, all parts of the Eaft, who
ever vifits a great perfon muft carry him a prefent.
"It Is counted uncivil, fays Maundrell, p. 26. to
" vifit in this country without an offering in hand.
" All great men expedl it as a tribute due to their
"charadler and authority;, and look upbn them-
' ' felves aij affronted, and . indeed defrauded, ' when
" the compliment is omitted." Hence -]W to vifit a
perfon Is equivalent to a making him a prefent;
and nnityn fignifies a prefent made dn fitch occafions ;
as our tranflators have, rightly rendered It, I Sam.
IX. 7. on which Jarchi fays, " Menachem exponit
mwn quod fignificet oblationem five munui, ut
aliquis afpiciat faciem regis, aut alicujus m'agnatis."
10. Thou haft faid. There is nO hope] In one of
the mss af Koningffierg collated by Lilienthal, the
words ^nQ^< , M*? are left in the Text unpointed, as
fufpedled; and in the margin, the corredlor has
written nDl^m. Now if we compare Jer. ii. 25,
and XVIII. 12. we ffiall find, that the.\fubjedl is In
both places quite the fame with this of tfaiah, and
the fentiment expreffed, that of a defperate refolu
tion to continue at all hazard in their Idolatrous
pradlices ; the very thing that In all reafon we might
.expedl here. Probably therefore the latter is the
true reading in this place.
If. — nor revolved it— ] Eight Mss, (fc^tr An
tient,) and the two oldeft Editions, with another,
z a ,, . add

340- notes on chap. lvib..
add the conjundlion 1, ab"]': which is confirmed
by, all the antient Verfions,
Ibid. — and wipked] For DViyOTi which makes
iio good fenfe or conftrudlion in this place, twenty^
three mss, (feven Antient,) and three Editions, have
D^yo. (to be thus pointed ChVD) rs-apepoo, lxx ;-
quafi non videns, Vulg. fee Pf. x. i , The truth of
this reading fo confirmed admits of no doubt.
12. — my righteoufnefs] For nnp-nS', thy righ
teoufnefs, Syr. LXX, MSS Alex, and Pachom. and-
r D. II. and Marchal. and oi V, and Arab, read
Tlpnx, my righteoufnefs.
13. — let thine affociates deliver thee] Thirty
nine mss, (ten Antient,) and the two- oldeft Editions,
hive "llb^*, plural.
14. Then will I fay] nDM to be pointed- as the
firft perfon future ; they are the words of God, as It
is plain from the Conclufion of the verfe ; my peo
ple, 'ay.
15. For thus faith jehovah] A ms adds nin*
after naM, and Edition Prag. 15 18. So' lxx Alex.
and Arab. An Antient ms adds n». '
Ibid. And with the contrite — ] Twelve mss
have T\a, without the conjundlion "r. " Pro T\a\
forte legendum nKn><1: confer Pf. cxi 11. 5. &,
GXXXVIII. 6." SECKER.
i6. For I will not alway — ] The learned ha%'-e
tUkert a great deal of ^palns to little purpofe on the
latter part of this verfe, which they fuppofe to be
very obfcure. After all their labours upon it, I
ffiink the beft and eafieft explication of It Is given In
the two foUowing elegant paffages of thfe Pfalms,
which I prefume are exadlly parallel to It, and very
clearly exprefs the fame fentiment.
" But He in his tender mercy will forgive their fin;
" And wifl not deiirov them; " Yea

cihap. LVII. ISAIAH. 341
" Yea oftentimes will he turn away his wratli,
-" And wiil not roufe up his indignation :
" For he remembereth that they are but flefh,
" A breath that paffeth, and returneth not."
Ff. LXXVIII. 38, 39.
¦*' He win not always contend,
" Neither will, he for ever hold his wrath :
¦" As a father yearneth towards his ch.ildren,
*'' So i^ JEHOVAH tenderly compalfionate towards then?
" that fear him :
*• For he knoweth our frame;
" He i-emembereth that we are but duflr,"
Pf cm. 9, 13, 14.
In the former of thefe two paffages the fecond line ^
feems to be defedlive both in meafure and fenfe : I
fuppofe the word DniK, them. Is loft at the end ;
which feems to be acknowleged by Chald. and Vulg.
who render as if they had read, ViH^a PfUV kV).
17. Becaufe ofhis iniquity for a ffiort time I was
wroth] For ^)B2, I read i;3n, paululum, a Vt2,
abfcidit; as lxx read and render it, ^payy n.
" Propter Iniquitatem avaritia ejus," the rendering
of Vulg. which our tranflators, and I believe ali
¦others follow, Is furely quite befide the purpofe.
, 19, I create the fruit of the lips ; — ] " The fa
crifice of praife, faith St. Paul, Heb. xm. 15. is
the fruit of the lip's." God creates this, fruit of th6
lips, by giving new fubjedl and caufe of thankfgiving
by his' mercies conferred on thofe among his people,
who acknowlege and bewail their tranfgreffions, and
.return to him. The great fubjedl of thartkfgiving is
Peace; reconciliation and pardon offered to them
that are nigh, and to them that are afar off; not
.only to tiie Jew, but alfo to the Gentile, as St. Paul
more ffian once applies thefe terms, Eph. ri. 13, 17.
fee alfo Adls ir. 39.
' ai. There is no peace, faith my God — ] For
VJ^»; > twenty-two mss, (five Antient,) read mn'".
z 3 Vulg

34a notes on chap. lvii.
Vulg. LXX Alex. Arab, and three mss have both.
This verfe has reference to the 19th. The wicked
and Impenitent are excluded from ' all ffiare in that
Peace above-mentioned, that reconcilement and par-,
don, which is promifed to the penitent only. . The
XLviiith Chapter ends with the fame declaration ;
to exprefs the exclufion of the unbelievers and Im
penitent from the benefit of the foregoing promifes.

CHAP. LVIII.

3. — afflidled our fouls — ] Twenjy-feven mss,
(fix Antient,) and the old Edition of 1488, have
the noun In the plural number, I3''li;3j : and fo lxx,
Chald. Vulg.
4. And to fmite with the fift the poor. Where
fore faft ye unto me — ]' I follow the verfion of the
LXX, which gives a much better fenfe than the pre-
fent,readlng of the Hebrew. Inftead of ab Vt^n, they
feem to have read In their copy »^ no b)> lyn : the ,
four firft letters are the fame, but otherwife divided
in regard to the woids ; the four laft are loft, and K
added in their place. In order' to make fome fort of
fenfe with b ytyi. The verfion of the lxx is xat
rvjflsrs riyvyu-aig rairsnov ha ri ^01 yr;gsvsis  —.
7. —the wandering poor — ] 'sfjooy.pvg agsyovg,
LXX ; egenos vagofque, Vulg. and ^'•'^abtaD, Chald.
They read, Inftead of D''ni«)D, DHIin. no Is upon a
rafure in4:he Bodleian ,ms. The fame ms reads nnu,
^«, domum. 8. And

CHAP. LVIII. ISAIAH. ^343
8. And thy wounds ffiall be fpeedily healed] " Et
cicatrix -vulneris tui cito obducetur." Aquila's ver
fion, as reported fey Jerom : with which agrees that
of the Chaldee.
Ibid. And the glory — ] Sixteen mss, (five An
tient,) and LXX, Syr. Vulg. add the conjundlion 1,
112^1. lo. If tiiou bring forth thy bread — ] " To draw
out thy foul to the hungry," as our tranflators rightly
enough exprefs the prefent Hebrew text, is an ob
fcure phrafe, and without example in any , other
place. But inftead of "HfB], thy foul, eight mss,
(three, Antient,) read "prb, thy bread, and fo the
Syriac renders It. The lxx exprefs both words, rov
Kprov sx rrjg ¦¦I'^Xi'^ii o"^" ^^/ bread from thy foul,
II. And he ffiall renew thy ftrength] ^' Chal
dasus forte legit ^H^VV 'T''^^ confer Cap. xl. 29,
31. and XLI. I." secker. Chald. has ma '•^n* "^SIJI
IXd^V, " & corpus tuum vivificabit in vita seterna."
The reft of the Antients feem not to know what to
make of yVn'' ; and the rendering of the Vulgate,
which feems to be the only proper one, offa tuatil^e-
rabii, makes no fenfe. I follow this excellent emeh-
dation : to favour which, it is ftlU further to be ob
ferved, , that three mss, inftead of "j^nD^JJ? have
*]nD2£y, fingular. »
12. — to be frequented by inhabitants] To this
purpofe It Is rendered by Syr. Sym. and Theod.
13. For doing thy pleafure] The lxx, Syr. and
Chald. for rw^ manifeftly exprefs jilti^VD. So like-
wife a MS has it ; but with the omiffion of the words
ybT) me;. _ ,
Ibid. And the holy Feaft,] Twenty-eight mss,
(feven Antient,) add the conjundlion 1, tyinp'jl : and
fo Syr. Chald. and Vulg.
Ibid. — and from fpeaking vain words] It is ne
ceffary to add fome epithet to make, out the fenfe :
z 4 -the

344 NOTES ON CHAP. LVIII.
the LXX fay angry words ; Chald. words of violence.
If any fuch epithet Is loft here, the fafeft way Is to
fupply it by the Prophet's own expreffion, ver. 9,
lii* nm ; "^^^^ words : that is, profane, impious,
injurious, &c.
" The additional epithet feems unneceffary. The
Vulg. and Syr. have It not. And the fenfe is good
without it: two ways, firft by taking n^ll for a
noun, and nm for the participle PahuJ, and ren
dering, " For purfuing thy pleafure, and the thing re-
*' folved on."
Or, fecondiy, by fiippofing the force of the prepo
fition D to be continued from the verb ^*1^J0a to the
verb num immediately following, and rendering,
" From executing thy pleafure, and from fpeaking
" words concerning It."
But the firft feems the eafier rendering." Dk.
Jubb.

CHAP. LIX.

> The foregoing elegant Chapter contained a fevere
reproof of the Jews, in particular for their hypocrify
in pretending to make themfelves accepted with God
by faftjrig and outward humiliation without true re
pentance ; wliile they ftill continued to opprefs the
poor, and to indulge their own paffions and vices : with
great promifes however of God's favour on condition of

CHAP. LIX. ISAIAH. 345
of their reformation. This Chapter contains a more
general reproof of their wickednefs ; bloodffied, vio
lence, falffiood, injuftice. At ver. 9. they are' in
troduced as making, themfelves an ample confeffion
of their fins, and deploring their wretched ftate In
confequence of them. On this adl of humiliation a
promife is given, that God, in his mercy and zeal
for his people, will refcue them from this miferable
condition; that the Redeemer will come like a
mighty hero to deliver them : he will deftroy his
enemies, convert both Jews and Gentiles to himfelf,
and give them a new Covenant, and a Law, which
ffiall never be abollffied. ,
As this Chapter is remarkable for the beauty,
ftrength, and variety of the Images with which it
abounds ; fo is it peculiarly diftinguiffied by the ele
gance of the compofition, and the exadl conftrudlion
of the fentences : from the firft verfe to the two laft
it'falls regularly into ftanzas of four lines, (fee Pre
lim. Difl'ert. p. xx.) which I have endeavoured to
exprefs as nearly as poffible In the form of the ori
ginal. 2. His face — ] Yor t^'I'Q, faces, I read V33, his
face. So Syr. lxx. Alex. Arab. Vulg. '33, ms.
" Forte legendum '>:3 ; nam a fequitur, & loquitur
Deus; confer LVIII. 14." secker. I rather think
that the fpeech of God was clofed with the laft Chap
ter ; and that this Chapter is delivered in the perfon
of the Prophet.
3. And your tongue — ] An Antient ms, and
LXX, and Vulg. add the Conjundlion.
8. Whoever goeth In them — ] For T\2 fingular,
read W2 plural, with lxx, Syr. Vulg, Chald. The
n Is upon a rafure In ms.- Or for DnTllTlJ plural,
we muft read nni^ns fingular, as it is in an Antient
Ms' ; to preferve the grammatical concord.
I 10. And

346 NOTES ON CriAP. LIX.
10. And we wander — ] I adopt here an emen
dation of Houbigant, nMttO, inftead of the fecond
ntWK^JJ, the repetition of which has a poverty and
inelegance extremely unworthy of the Prophet, and
unlike his manner. The miftake is of long ftanding,
being prior to all the antient Verfions : it was a very
eafy and obvious miftake ; and I have little doubt of
our having recovered the true reading in this inge*^
nious corredlion.
II. —and it is far diftant from us.] The Con
jundlion 1 muft neceffarily be prefixed to the Verb,
as Syr. Chald. Vulg. found It in their copies, npmi.
15. And JEHOVAH faw it, .  • • •] This
third line of the ftanza appears manifeftly to me to
be Imperfedl by the lofs of a phrafe. The reader
will perhaps more perfedlly conceive my idea of the
matter, if I endeavour to fupply the fuppofed de
fedl. I Imagine It might have ftood, originally in
this manner : [1^ nn''i] nin'' xnn
i33i:'a l'•^* o ry<v2 ynn '
" Arid jEHovAi-i faw it, [and he was wroth ;]
" And it difpleafed him, that there was no judgement."
We have had already many examples of miftakes of
omiffion : this, if it be fuch, is very antient, being
prior to all the Verfions.
17. — for his clothing] rW2bn- " I cannot but
think, that lW2br\' is an interpolation, i. It Is In
no one antient Verfion. 2. It is redundant in the
fenfe, as it is before expreffed in n33. 3. It makes
the Hemiftich juft fo much longer than it ought to
be, if Itls compared with the others adjoining. 4.
It makes a form of confttudlion in this claufe lefs
elegant than that In the others. 5. It might proba
bly' be in fome margin a various reading for n33,
and thence taken into the Text. This is ' the more pro^

CHAP. LIX. ISAIAH. 347
probable, as its form Is fuch as It would be, if it
were in regimine, as It muft be before ,Dpa." dr.
JUBB. 18. He Is mighty — ]. The former part of this
verfe, as it ftands at prefent in the Hebrew Text,
feems to me to be very imperfedl, and abfolutely
unintelligible. The learned Vitringa has takeri a
great deal of pains upon it, after Cocceius ; who,
he fay-s, is the only one of all the Interpreters, an
cient or modern, who has at all underftood it, and
has opened the way for him. He thinks, that both
of them together have clearly made out the fenfe :
I do not expedl thar any third perfon will ever be
of that opinion. He fays, " Videtur fententia ad
verbum fonare : quafi propter fadla [adverfariornm]
quafi propter rependet ; excandefcentiam, hc. & fic
reddidit Pagninus." This he converts, by a procefs
which will not much edify my reader, into " Se
cundum fumma merita, fecundum fumme , [merita]
rependet :" which Is his tranflation. .They that hold
the prefent Flebrew Text to be abfolutely infallible,
muft make their way through it as they can : but
they ought furely to give us fomewhat that has at
leaft the appearance of fenfe. However, I hope the
cafe here is not quite defperate : the Chaldee leads
us very fairly to the corredlion of the Text, which
Is both corrupted and defedlive. The paraphrafe
runs thus: 'rbv J^boj Kin K-'^d: nn. " Dominus
retrlbutionum ipfe retribntionem. redder." He ma
nifeftly read "^yi, inftead of "^yD. Ki"?n3 nn is bva-
ni!?Qa; as KninnD-na Is ^a "pyi, Prov. xxn. 24.
And fo in the fame Chaldee Paraphrafe on Ifaiah
Kxxv. 4. 'b'in'' xm ""^ M'^D^ no, " Dominus retri
butlonum JEHOVAH ipfe revelabitur." Words very
near to thofe of the Prophet in this place. The fe
cond vJyD, which the Chaldee has omitted, muft be
Tead bv^ likewife ; with' .tiiis only addition to the
2 Chaldee,

J48 ' NOTES ON CHAP. LIX.
Chaldee, which the Hebrew Text juftifies, we are
fupplied with the following clear reading of the
paflage :
' Kin ni^iai '?yn
D^' n\b)Q2 bv2
The 3 In ^yD twice feems to have been at firft 2 In
MS. This verfe In lxx Is very Imperfedl. In the
firft part of it, they give us no affiftance : the laft
part is wholly omitted In the printed copies ; but it
is thus fupplied in mss Pachom. and i D. n.—^roig
v-jTivavjioig avJH' upvyav zoig sy(9poig avjis' rsiig yyia-Qig'aTCO-
^opia. oi-TToj^asi.
19. —which a ftrong wind driveth along] " Quam
fpiritus Domini cogit." Vulg. nDDl3, Plhel a D13
fugit. Kimchi fays, his Father thus explained this
word : " nDD13 interpretatur in fignificatione fugse ;
& alt, fpiritus Domini fugabit hoftem ; — -nam fecun
dum eum nDD13 eft ex conjugatione quadrata, ejuf.^
que radix eft D13." The objedl of this adlion I ex
plain otherwife. The Conjundlion 1 prefixed to nn
feems neceffary to the fenfe : it is added by the Cor
redlor in one of the Koningffierg mss Collated by
Lilienthal. 20. And ffiall turn away Iniquity from Jacob]
So LXX, and St. Paul, Rom. xi. 26. reading, in
ftead of '•la;'? and 3pyu, a^li'ni and npya. Syr. like-
wife reads 2''iyni; and Chald. to the fame fenfe,
a''tyn^1. Our Tranflators have expreffed the fenfe of
the prefent reading of the Hebrew Text: " And
unto them that turn from tranfgreffion in Jacob."
21. — which I make with ffiem] For DniK, them,
twenty- four mss, (four Antient,) and nine Editions
have DfiK, with them.

CHAP.

CHAP. LX. ISAIAH. 349

CHAP. LX.

The fubjedl of this Chapter is the great increafe
and flouriffiing ftate of the Church of God by the
converfion and acceffion of the Heathen Nations to
it ; which is fet forth in fuch ample and exalted
terms, as plainly ffiew, that the ffill completion of
this Prophecy is referved for future times. Tins
fubjedl is difplayed In the moft fplendid colours,
under a great variety of images highly poetical, de
figned to give a general idea of the glories of that
perfedl ftate of the Church of God, which we are
taught to expedl in the latter times ; when the fuU
nefs of the Gentiles ffiall come In, and the Jews
ffiall be converted and gathered from their difper
fions ; and the kingdoms of this world ffiall become
the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Chrift.
Ofthe ufe in Prophecy of general or common
poetical images, in fetting forth the greatnefs and
importance of a future event univerfally, without de- ,
fcending to particulars, or too minutely explaining
circumftances, I have already pretty largely treated
in the xxth Preledlion on the Hebrew Poetry; and
have more than once obferved in thefe Notes, that
fuch images are not always to be applied particular
ly to perfons and things, and were never intended-
to be minutely explained. I ffiall add here the opi
nion of a very learned and judicious perfon upon
this fubjedl: " It is, I think, a mark of right, un
derftanding, in the language of Prophecy, and in
the

35° NOTES ON CHAP* LXj
the defign of Prophecy too, to keep to what appears
the defign and meaning of the Prophecy in general,
and what the whole ofit, laid together, points out
to us : and not to fuffer a warm imagination to mif--
lead us from the real intention of the - fpirit Of Pro
phecy, by following uncertain applications of the
parts of it." Lowman on the Revelation, Note on
Chap. XIX. 21.
4. — ffiall be carried at the fid^] For nDDNH,
fhall be nurfed, lxx,, and Chald. read niKl^Jn, Jhall
be carried. A ms has nDKiy^n »jnD bV, inftead of
n^DKn la bVi ftall be carried on the ftoulder, Inftead
of Jhall be nurfed on the fide. Another ms has both
e)n3andns. Another Ms has It thus : niDKH: TOKmn,
with a line drawn over the firft word. Sir John
Chardin fays, that it ia the general cuftom- in the
Eaft to carry their children aftride upon the hip,
wifh the arm round their body. His ms Note on
this place is as foUows : " Coutume en Orient de
porter les enfans fur le cofte a cafifourchon fur la
hanche : cette fa^on eft generale aux Indes ; les en
fans fe tiennent comme cela, & la perfonne qui les
porte les embrafle & ferre par le corps; parceque
font [ni] emmalllottis, ni en robes qui les embraf-
fent." " Non bra,chiis occidentalium more, fed humeris,.
divaricatis tibiis, impofitos circumferunt." .Cotovic.
It6r.,Syr. cap. xiv. _This laft quotation feems to fa
vour the reading Sin2 bV ; as the lxx likewife do :
. but upon the whole, I think that n3K!y]n IK bV is
the true reading, which the Chaldee favours ; and
I have accordingly followed it. See Chapter'
LXVI. la. ,
5. Then flialt thou fear — ] For ^Kn/I, thou ftalt
fee, as ours, and much the greater number of the
Tranflators, antient and modern, render it : forty
Mss^ (ten Antient,) and 'the old Edition of 1488, have

CHAP. LX. ISAIAH-. J5L
have^i^n^n, thou ftalt fear ; the true reading, con
firmed by the perfedl parallelifm of the fentences :
the heart ruffied and dilated In the fecond line anfwer-
iijg to the fear and joy expreffed In the firft. The
Prophet Jeremiah has the fame natural and elegant
fentiment :
" And [this city] fhall become to me a name of joy ;
" A praife and an honour for all the nations ofthe earth ;
" "Whic].! fhall hear all the good that I do unto them;
" And they fhall fear, and they fliall tremble, at all the
" goodnefs,
" And at aU the profperity, that I procure unto her."
JER. xxxiii g.
And "David :
•' I will praife thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully
" made." Ps. cxxxix. 14.
*' His tibi me rebus qusedam divina voluptas
?' Percipit atque horror." Lucret. iii. 28-
'' Recenti mens trepidat metu,
" Plenoque Bacchi peftore turbidum
" Lsetatur." Hor. CarM. ii. 19.
6. And the praife of jehovah — ] Thirty-three
mss, and three Editions, have n'?nnl, in the fingu
lar number ; and fo read the Antient .Verfions.
7. Unto thee ffiall the rams of Nebaioth ininifterj
Vitringa (on the place) underftands their miniftring,
and afcending, or going up, on the altar, as offer
ing themfelves voluntarily : " ipfi fe, non expedlato
facerdote alio, glorias & fandlificationi Divini nomi
nis ultro ac libenter oblaturi." This gives a very
elegant and poetical turn to the image.. It was a ge
neral notion, that prevailed with facrificers among
the Heathen, that the vidllm's being brought with
out reludlance to the altar was a good omen ; and
the contrary a bad one. " Sabinos petit aliquanto
trlftior; qUod facrificanti hoftia aufugerat." Sueton. Titus,

35^ iirOTES ON CHAP. LX.
Titus, cap. X. " Acceffit dirum orhen, profugus
altaribus taurus." Tacit. Hift, iii. ^6.
8. And like doves upon the wing] Inftead of ^K,
to, forty-two mss have bV, t/pon. For Dn'mnK,
their windows, read anTiniK, their wings,- tranfpo-i
fing a letter. Houbigant. The lxx render it a-vy
'-y-:oor<roig,. with their young; they read bn'nnSK ; nearer
to the latter, than to the prefent reading.
9. — ^^among the firft — ] For n^tyKIl, twenty-
five MSS', and" Syr. read n3t£?Kn2D, as at the firft.
13. — the place whereon I reft my feet] The
/Temple of Jerufalem was called the Houfe of God,
and the place of his reft, or refidence : the vifible
fymbolical appearance of God, called by the Jews
the Shechinah, was in the moft Holy Place, between
the wings ofthe Cherubim above the Ark. This Is
confidered as the Throne of God, prefiding as King
OA^er the Jewiffi State ; and as a footftool is a necef
fary appendage of a throne, (fee Note on Chap. lii.
2.) the Ark is confidered as the Footftool- of God;
and is fo called, Pf. xcix. 5. i Chron. xxviii. 2.
Ibid. The glory of Lebanon] That is, the
cedar. 19. Nor by night ffiall the brightnefs of the moon
enlighten thee] This line, as it ftands in the pre
fent Text,' feems to be defedlive. The lxx and
Chald. both .exprefs the night, which is almoft ne
ceffary to anfwer to day in the preceding line, as
well as to perfedl the fenfe here. I therefore think
that we ought, upon the authority of lXx and Chald.
to read eitheir T\b'h'\, and by night, inftead of n:i3^1,
and for brightnefs ; or nWl TO]'?!, adding the word
Xbh2,' by night.
21. — of my planting] , ^yi3D, fo with the 'Keri
read forty-four mss, (feven Antient,) and fix Edi
tions ; wiffi which agree Syr. Chald. Vulg.
CHAP.

GHAP. LXI. ISAIAH. 35^

CHAP. LXL

1. The fpirit of JEHOVAH — ] The lxx, Vulg.
and St. Luke iv. i8. and ms. and two Old Editions,
omit the word ^HK, the Lord; which was probably
added, to the Text through the fuperftition of the
Jews, to prevent the pronunciation of ffie word nin*
following. See Kennicott on the State of the printed
Heb. Text, i. p. 510.
Ibid. — perfedl liberty] Ten mss and one Edi
tion have nipnpS in one word : and fo the lxx and
Vulg. appear to have taken it,
The proclaiming of perfedl liberty to the bounden, '
and the year of acceptance with jehovah, is a ma
nifeft allufion to the proclaiming of the year of Ju
bilee by found of trumpet; fee Levit. xxv. 9, &c.
This was a year of general releafe; of debts and
obligations ; of bond men and women ; of lands and
poffeffions, which had been fold from the families
and tribes, to which they belonged. Our Saviour,
by applying this Text to himfelf, Luke rv. 18, 19.
a Text fo manifeftly relating to the inftitutlon above-
mentioned, plainly declares the typical defign of
that Inflltution.
' 3. To impart [gladnefs] to the mourners] A
word neceffary'to the fenfe Is certainly loft In this
place ; of which the antient Verfions have preferved
no traces. Houbigant, by conjedlure, inferts the
word ]ltyiy, gladnefs, , taken from the llrte next but
one below, whei'e it ftands oppofed to b2a, forrow^
¦vol.. II. A A ojc

354 KofEs ou cHAP.^'LJtr:
or mourning; as the word loft here was to '^2at
mourners : I follow him.
Ibid. — a beautiful crow, inftead of affies] In.
times of mourning the Jews put on fackcloth, or
coarfe and fordid raiment ; and fpread duft and affies
on ffieir heads ; on the contrary, fplendid clothing,
and ointment poured on the head, were ffie figns of
joy. *' Feign thyfelf ta be a mourner, fays Joab to
ffie woman of Tekoah, and put on now mourning
apparel, and anoint not thyfelf with oilj' a Sam.
xrv. 2. Thefe cuftoms are at large expreffed in the
book of Judith. " She puUed off the fackcloth
which fhe had on, and put off the garments of her
widowhdod, and waffied her body all over with wa
ter, and anointed herfelf with precious ointment,
and braided the hair of her head, and put on a tire
[mitre, marg.] upon it j and put oa her garments
©f gladnefs." Chap. x. 3.. /
Fhear^ inftead of apher ; a paronomafia, which
tile Prophet often ufes : a chaplet, crown, or btlief
Ornament of the head, (for fo the Vulgate renders
the word here, and in the loth verfe ; in which laft
place the LXX agree in the fame rendering,) inftead
of duft and affies, which befpre covered it : and the
coftly ointments, ufed on occafion of feftivity, in
ftead of the enfigns of forrow.
Ibid, -^trees approved] Vfeh.- oaks of righteoufnefSf '
©r truth : that Is,, fuch as their flouriffiing conditiort
fhould ffiew, that they were indeed " the cion of
God's plantirtg, artd ffie work of his hands :" under
which images, In the preceding Chap. ver. 21.- the
true fervants of God, in a highly improved ftate of
the Church, were reprefented ; that is, fays Vltrirtga
Ort that place, " commendable for the ftrength of
their faith, their durability, and firmnefs."
4. And they that fpring from theeJ A word is
toft here likewife. After SS2), they, fhall build,: add
4 ' ¦¦ ¦ 13%

fcHAr. LXI., ISAIAH. '^^^
'^bb, they ffiat fprirtg/r<?ffi thffe. Four mss have It
fo, (two of them Arttient,) and It is confirmed by
Chap. LVIII. 1 2. y where the fentertce is the very-
fame, this word being here added. Kimchi makes
the fame remark: '^ the word "]DD is omitted Here? ;
but Is found In Chap, lviii. la."
7. Inftead of your ffiame — ] The tranflation of
this verfe, which is very confufed, and probably
corrupted In the Hebrew, is taken from the Syriac
Verfion ; except that the latter has not expreffed the
word n3lS^&, double, in the firft place. Five mss add
the Conjundlion 1 to maV. Syr. reads 'l3nn and
'W^Pi in the fecond Perfon, "ye ffiaU rejoice, ye
ffiall inherit." 'And for on*?, to them, tv/o mss (one
of them Antient,) and Syr. read 03^, to you, in the
the fecond Perfon likewife.
The verfion of the lxx is Imperfedl In this place :
the firft half of the verfe Is entirely omitted in all
the printed copies. Itls fupplied by mss Pachom..
and I D. II. In the following manner :
A'Jji trig ciia-y^vyyjg vjmov rrig tirrKyig,
Kcii Kyji TJjs ^vIpoTT^g ayaKT^ixa-sjai ^ p.spi'g avjciiy'
^ta r^o rriy yriv oivjccv sx ^svjspn — —
In which the two mss agree, except that i D. ^i.
- has by miftake '^p.s^ag for»i ?? p.spig. And Cod. Mar
chal. in the margin, has pretty nearly the fame fup
plement as from Theodotion.
8. -^and iniquity] Syr. and Chald, prefix the
Conjundlion 1, inftead of the Prepofition 2, to n^iy ;
which they render iniquity or oppreffion : and fo the
LXX, ai^tKtag.
10. As the bridegroom decketh himfelf with a,
prieftly crown]- An allufion to the magnificent drefs
of the -High Prieft, when performing his fundlions ;
and particularly to the mitre, and crown, pr plate
of gold, on the front of it. Exod. xxix. 6. The
' A A a bon-

356 KOTES OiJ CHAP. LXf.
bonnet or mitre of the priefts alfo was made, as
Mofes expreffes It, " for glory and for beauty.'*
Exod. XXVIII. 40. It is difficult to give its full
force to the Prophet's metaphor in another language ;
the verfion of Aquila and Symmachus comes neareft
to it : ug vvp.(piov Is^svopsvov gs<poiy(t>. , ,
II. The Lord jehovah — ] ' " *3nK, the Lord,
makes the line longer thart the preceding and follow
ing: and LXX Alex, [and mss Pachom. and i D.
, ii7\ and Arab, do not render it. Hence it feems to
be Interpolated." dr. jubb. Three mss have it not.
See Note on ver. i. of this Chapter.

CHAP. Lxn.

5. For as a young man — fo — I The particles of
comparifon are not at prefent in the Hebrew Text ;
but the LXX, Syr. and Chald. feem to have read in
iheir copies 2 prefixed to the verb, ^yao >3, which
feems tO have been omitted by miftake of a tran
fcriber, occafioned by the repetition of the fame two
letters. And before the Verb in the fecond line a
MS adds pyfo: which the lxx, Syr.' and Chald.
feem alfo to have had Irt their copies. In the third
line of this verfe the fame ms has in like manner
jyit^DDI, and two mss and the Babyloniffi Talmud
U^WDD, adding the 3:. and in the fomth line, the
^Babyloniffi Talmud likewife adds p, fo, before the
verb. Sir John Chardin, in his Note on this place, tells
us, «* that it is the cuftom ill the Eaft for youths,
, ' ' ffiat

•HAP, LXII. ISAIAH. 35*^
that were never married, always 'to marry virgins;
and ^widowers, however young, to marry widows,"
Harmer, Obferv. ii. p. 48a.
Ibid. — thy reftorer — ] "^[12 ; fee Note ort[ Chap.
XLIX. 17. . ' ]
6. O ye that proclaim — J The faithful, and. in
particular the Priefts and Levites, are exhorted by
.the Prophet to befeech God with unremitted Impor
tunity (compare Luke XVIII. i, &c.) to haften the
redemption of Sion. The image In this place is
taken from the Temple fervice ; in which there was
appointed a conflant watch, day and night, by the
Levites : and among them this feems to have be
longed particularly to the fingers ; fee 1 Chron. ix.
33. Novif the watches in the Eaft, even to this day,
are performed by a loud cry from time to time of
the watchmen, to mark the rime, and that very fre
quently, and in order to ffiew that they themfelves
arp Conftantly attentive to their duty. Hence the
watchmen are faid by the Prophet, Chap. lii,. 8. to
lift up their voice ; and here they ,are commanded,
not to keep filence \ and the greateft reproach to them
is, that they are dumb dogs,; they cannot bark; dreamers,
fluggards, loving to flumber : Chap. lvi. io. *' The
watchmen in the camp of the caravans go their
rounds, crying one after another, " God is One,
He Is merciful :" and often add, " Take heed to
yoijrfclyes-." Tavernier, Voyage de Perfe, Liv. i.
Chap. X. The cxxxivth Pfalm gives us an exam
ple ofthe Temple watch. The whole Pfalm is no
thing more than the alternate cry of two different
divifions of the watch. The firft watch addreffes
the fecond, reminding them of their duty : the fe
cond anfwers by a folemn bleffing: the addrefs and
the anfwer feem both to be a fet form, which each
divifion proclaimed, or fung aloud, af ftated inter-
yals> to notify the time of the night ;
A A 3 ift

355 NOTftS on CHAP. LXir>

ift Chorus.
*' Come on now, blefs ye jehovah, all ye fervants of
"JEHOVAH;
'"^ Ye that fland in the houfe of jehovah in the nights j
" Lift up your binds towards the fanSuary,
" And blefs ye jehoVAh."
ad Chorus.
** jehovah blefs the;e out of Sion ;
'* He that made heaveii and earth."
*' Q.ui ftatis in loco cufiodiiz domus fandluarii je-
HovjE, & laudatis per nodles ; fays the Chaldee pa-.,
taphrafe on the fecond line. And^this explains what
is here particularly meant by proclaiming, or making'
remembrance of, the name of jj;eovah : ffie form
which the watch made ufe of on thefe occafions, was
always a ffiort fentence, expreffing fome pious fenti
ment, of which jehovah was the fubjedl ; and it is
remarkable, that the cuftom in tiie Eaft In this re
fpedl alfo ftill continues the very fame ; as it appears
by the example above given from Tavernier.
And th^ obfervation leads to ffie explanation of
an obfcure paffage in the Prophet Malachi, ii. la.-
" jeuovah will cut off the man that doeth this ;
*' The watchman and the anfwerer, from the tabernacles
" of Jacob ;
'? And him that prefenteth an offering to jehoyah God
"of Hofts."
n^yi ny, the mafter and the fcholar, fays our tranfla-s.
tion after Vulg. the fon and the grandfon, fays Syr.
and Chald. as littie to the purpofe : Arias Montanus
has given it, vigilant em i£ refpondentem, the watch-r
man and ihe anfwerer ; that is,' ffie Levite : and him
that prefenteth an offering to Jehovah'; that is, the
I'rieft, ¦ ' ¦ ' $. But

CHAP. LXir. JSAIAH. ' \ ^59
9. But they that reap the harveft ffidl eat It, and
praife jehovah- — ] This and the following line.
have reference to the law of Mofes : " Thou mayeft
not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of
thy oil ; — but thou muft eat them before the Lord
thy God, in the place which the Lord thy God ffiall
choofe — ." Deut. xn. 17, 18, ".And when ye
ffiall come Into the land, and ffiall have planted all
manner of trees for food, then ye ffiall count the
fruit thereof as uncircumclfed : three, years it fhall
be as uncircumclfed unto you ; it ffiall not be eaten
of. But In the fourth year all the fruit thereof ffiaU
be holy to praife the Lcvi.i withal. And In the fifth
year ye ffiall eat the fruit thereof." Lev. xix. 23 —
.25. This clearly explains the force of the exprefr
fions, " ffiall praife jehovah," and " ffiall drink
it in my facred courts."
Five MSS, (one Antient,) have ini^3i<*, fully ex
preffed : and fo likewife inini!^'' is found in nineteen
Mss, three of them Antient.
10. — for the people] Before ffie word oyn, thfi
people, two MSS infert nins Jehovah: one ms adds
the fame word after it;, and eight mss, (three An
tient,) Inftead of nyn have nin' and fo likewife one
Edition. But though it makes a good fenfe either
way, r believe it to be an interpolation, as the An
tient Verfions do not favour it. The j.xx indeed
read %y, my people.
II. — Lo! thy Saviour — ] So aU the Antient
.Verfions render the word '\!}V.
Ibid. Lp! bis reward-^] See Note on Chap.
^h' 1,0,

A a 4 CHAP

35» NOTES ON CHAP. LXIII,

CHAP. LXIII.

The very remarkable paffage, with which this
Chapter begins, feems to me to be In a manner de ¦
tached from the reft, and to ftand fingly by itfelf;
having no Immediate connedlion. with what follows;
otherwife than as it may purfue the general defign,
iind ftand in its proper place in the order of Pro
phecy. It Is by many learned Interpreters fiippofed,
that Judas Maccabeus and his- vidlorles make the
fubjedl of it. What claim Judas can have to fo
great an honour will, I think, be very difficult to
m?te out: or how the attributes ofthe great Perfon
introduced can poffibly fuit him. Could Judas call
himfelf The Announcer of Righteoufnefs, ffiighty to
iave ? Could he talk of the Day of vengeance being
in his heart, -and the year of His redeemed being
come?; or that 'his owli arm wrought falvation for
him ? Befides, what were the great exploits of ¦ Ju-
'das in regard to the- Idumeans ? he overcame them
in battle, and flew twenty thoufand of them. And
John Hyrcaniis, his brother Simon's fon and fuccef
for, who is called in tb help out the accompliffi
ment of the Prophecy, gayc them another defeat
fome time afterward, and compelled them by force
to become profelytes to the Jewiffi religion, and to
fubmit to circumcifion : after which they were .in
corporated with the Jews, and became one peOple
with them. Are thefe events adequatfe to the Pro-.
phet's lofty predidlion ? Was it fo great an adlion to
win

«HAP. LXIII. ISAIAH. 361
win a battle with confiderable flaughter of the ene
my ; or to force a whole nation by dint of the fword
into Judaifm ? or was the converfion of the Idume
ans, however, effedled, and their admiffion into the
Church of God, equivalent to a moft grievous judge
ment and deftrudllon threatened in the, fevereft
terms ? But here is another very material circum
ftance to be confidered, which, I prefume, intirely
excludes Judas Maccabeus, and even the Idumeans
properly fo called. For the Idumea ofthe Prophet's
time was quite a different country from that which
Judas conquered. For -during- ffie Babyloniffi Cap
tivity the Nabatheans had driven the Edomites out
of their covmtry ; who upon that took poffeffion of
the fouthern parts of Judea, and fettled themfelves
there ; that is, in the country of the whole tribe of
Simeon, and In half of that of, Judah. See Pri
deaux, ad An. 740, & 165, And the metropolis of
the Edomites, and of the country thence called Idu
mea, which Judas took, was Hebron, i Mace. v.
65. not Botfra.
I conclude therefore, that this Prophecy has not
the leaft relation to Judas Maccabeus. It may be
..afked, to whom, and to what event does it relate ?
I. can only anfwer, that I know of no event in hiftory
to which from, its importance and circumftances it
can be applied : unlefs perhaps to the Deftrudlion
of Jerufalem and the Jewiffi Polity: which in the
Gofpel is called the Coming of Chrift, and the Days
of Vengeance ; Matt, xvi. 28. Luke xxr. 22. But,
though this Prophecy muft have its accOmplIffiment,
there is no neceffity of fuppofing that it has been al
ready, accompliffied. There are Prophecies, which
intimate a great flaughter of the enemies of God and
his people", which remain to be fulfilled :. thefe in
Ezekiel, Chap, xxxvin. and in the Revelation of
)Sj;. John, Chap. xx. are caUed Gog and Magog. This

$6% NbTpS OT^ PHAP. LXIir^
This Prophecy of Ifaiah, may poffibly refer to the
fame or the like event. W^ need not be at a lofs to
determine the Perfon who is here introdpced, a.s
. ftained with treading the wine-prefs. If we confider
how St. , John In the Revelation has applied this
image of the Prophet. Rev. Chap. xix. 13, 15, 16,
Compare Chap, xxxiv.
Ii 1 who announce righteoufnefs, and — ] A ms
has nansn, with the demonftrative article added,
with greater force and emphafis ; The Announcer of
-righteoufnefs. A ms has T\p'y&, without ;i prefixt ; '..
and fo LXX, and Vulg. And thirty-eight mss, (fe
ven Antient,) add the Conjundliort, *> to 31; which
|:he LXX, Syr. and Vulg. confirm.
2. Wherefore is thine apparel red — ] For I^V^b,
twenty-nine mss, (nine Antient,) and One Edition,
.Jiave "[ityia^V in the plural ; fo lxx, and Syr. And
^11 the antient Verfions read it with d Inftead of the
•firft ^. But the true reading, is probably '^tt^ia^PD in
theiingiilar^ as in A^er. 3.
3. And I have ftained — ] For TibS3J4, a verb of
very irregular formation, compounded, as. they fayi
ofthe two forms of the Preterit and Future, a ms
has in^KSK, ffie regular Future with a Pleonaftic
Pronoim added to It, according to the Hebrew idiom.
** And all my raiment, I have ftained it." The ne
ceffity of the Verb's being in the Paft time feems to
Jiave given occafion to the alteration made in the
i;nd ofthe wOrd. The Converfive 1 at the beginning
0f the fentence affedls the verb, though not' joined
to it; of which there are rpany examples :
^:n"'3y D^an ^jnpav ''"''^'
V And thou wilt hear me, (or hear thou me,)
*' from among the horns ofthe unicorns."
Pf. xxn. aa.

CH4P. LXIII* ISAIAH. 363
. 5. And mine indignation — ] For TlCini, nine-*
teen mss, (three Antient,) and four Editions, have
*ripn2t1, and my righteoufnefs : from Chap. lix. 16.
which, I fuppofe, the tranfcriber retained in his
memory. .^
6; And I cruffied them] For Dn3iy«1, " and I
made them drunken," twenty-feven mss, (three.
Antient,) and the old Edition of 1488, have oniiyM,
"and I cruffied them:" and fo Syr. and Chaldi
The LXX have omitted this whole line. ;
7. The remaining part of this Chapter, wiffi thd
whole Chapter following, contains a Penitential
Confeffion and Supplication of the Ifraelites in their
prefent ftate of Difperfion, in which they 'have fo
long marvelloufly fubfifted, and ftill contirtue to
fubfift, as a people ; caft out of ffieir country ; with
out any proper form of civil polity, or religious
worffiip ; their Temple deftroyed, their City defo*
Iated and loft to them ; and.tlfeir whole nation fcat
tered over the face of the earffi ; apparently deferted
and caft off by the God of theii;' faiJiers, as no longer
his peculiar people.
They begin with acknowleging God's great- mer-,
cies and favours to their nation ; and the imgrateful
returns made to ffiem on their -part; that by their
difobedience. they had forfeited the protedllon of
God, and had caufed him to become their adverfary.
And now the Prophet reprefents them, induced by
the memory of the great things that God had done
for ffiem, as addreffing their humble fupplication, for
the renewal of his mercies : they befeech him to re-*
gard them In confideratlon of his fbrmer Iqving^
kindnefs ; they acknowlege him for ffieir Father and
Creator ; they confefs their wickednefs and hardnefs
of heart ; they intreat his forgivenefs ; and deplore
fheir prefent miferable condition under which they
have fq long fi^ffered. It feems defigned as a For-;
e ' ' mulary

564 NOTES ON CflAP. LXIIi.
muWy of Humifiation for the Ifraelites, in order to
ffieir converfion.
The whole paflage Is in the Elegiac form, pathe
tic and elegant ; but it has fuffered much in our pre
fent copy by the miftakes of tranfcribers.
Ibid. — the praife of Jehovah] , For m^nn, plu
ral, twenty-nine mss, (three Antient,) and two Edi
tions, have n'pnn, in the fingular number : and fo
the -Vulgate I'enders it ; and one of the Greek Ver-
fons. In the margin of Cod. Marchal. and in the
'extof MSS Pachom. and l D. 11. rr,v ansaiv xvpia.
8, 9. And he became their faviour in all their
diftrefs-^J I have followed the tranflation of tbe
IXX in the latter part of the Sth and the former part
of the 9th verfe ; which agrees with the prefent Text,
a little differently divided, as to the members of the
fentence. They read ^DD, out of all, inftead of fea,
in all, which makes no difference in the fenfe j and
"Xi they underftand as Tit. Ka? sysvsro avrotg sig c-00-
Tr,^tav sx "rxfCia-vfg ^hi\\jsucg -oiVrMV a 'zff^s(f&vg,' «§£ ayfsXog —
An angel of his prefence means an angel of fuperior
order, in immediate attendance upon God. So the
'angel of the Lord fays to Zacharias, " I am Gabriel,
that ftand in the prefence- of God," Luke i. 19.
The Prefence of jehovah, Exod. xxxin. 14, 15.
and the Angel, Exod. xxni. 20,, 21. is jehovah
himfelf: here an Angel ofhis prefence Is oppofed to
JEHOVAH himfelf; as an Angel Is in the following
paffages of the fame book of Exodus. After their
idolatrous worffiiping of the Golden Calf, ' when
God had faid to Mofes, I will fend an Angel before ~
thee-^I will not go up In the midft of thee — the peo
ple mourned," Exod. xxxiir, 2 — 4. God after
wards comforts Mofes, by faying, " My Prefence -
(that Is, I Myfelf In Perfon, and not by an Angel)
will go wiffi ffiee," ver. 14. avjog •as^ojropiva-oix.ai crov,
as the LXX render it. Th«

CHAP. LXIII. ISAIAH. 365
The MSS and Editions are much divided between
the two readings of the Text and Margin In the
common Copies, x^ and lV. All the antient Ver
fions exprefs the Chetib K^.
Ibid. And he took them up, and he bare themJ
See the Note on Chap. xlvi. 3.
10. And he fought againft >them] Twenty-fix
MSS, (ten Antient,) and the firft Edition, lyith ano
ther, add the Conjundlion 1, »*ini.
II. Hdw he brought them up from the fea with
the ffiepherd of his flisck ; How — ] For Tfa, how
Interrogative, twice, the Syriac Verfion reads ya,
how without Interrogation ; as that Particle is ufed
in the Syriac language, and fometimes in the, He-.
brew. See Ruth nr. 18. Ecelef. n. 16.
Ibid. Mofes his fervant^ For loy, his people,
two MSS, (orte of them Antient,) and, the old Edi
tion of 1488, and Syr. read nay, his fervant. Thefe
two words have been miftaken one for the other
in other places: Pf. lxxviii. 71. and lxxx. 5. for
Wy and "^Dyi the lxx read nny and "jlay.
Ibid, —the ffiepherd of his flock] That Is, Mo
fes. The MSS and Editions vary in this word : fome
have It nyn in the Singular Number; fa lxx, Syr.
Chald. Others ^yn, plural.
14. The fpirit of Jehovah condudled them] For
I3n''3n, caufed him to reft, the lx'x have (l\yYfrsy ^u/sff,
conduced them, they read onsn : Syr. Chald. Vulg.
read Wn3n, conducted him. Two mss have the wor4'
wiffiout the > In the middle.
15. — and thy mighty power] For l''min3, pltt-
ral, thirty-two Mss, (feven Antient,) and feven
Editions, have "l./ni^J, fingular.
Ibid. — are they reftrained from lis] For "ha,
from, (or in regard to,) me, lxx, and Syr. read
yyba, from us,
x6. O

^66 NOTES Oil CHAP. LXIlI*
i6. O deliver us for the fake of thy name] The
prefent Text reads, as our Tranflation has rendered
it, " Our Redeemer, thy ndme is from everlafling.'^
But inftead of zhw^tfrom everlafting,. ari Antient m^
has lya^, for the fake of, which gives a much better
fenfe. To ffiew the impropriety of ffid prefeflt read--
ing, it is fufficient to obferve, that the lxx and
Syriac tranflators thought it neceffary to add W^^y,
upon Us, to make out the fenfe ; that Is, "Thy nam6
is upon us, or we are called by thy name, from of -
old." And the lxx have rendered 12^X3 in ffie Im
perative Mood, pv^ai ¦^p.ag. "
' 18. It is little that they have taken poffeffion of
ffiy holy mountain} The difficulty of the conftruc
tion in ffils place is acknowleged on all hands. . Vi
tringa prefers that fenfe as the leaft exceptionable,
which our Tranflation has expreffed : in which how.^
ever there feems to me to be a great defedl ; that is,
the want of what in the fpeaker's view muft have
feeen the principal part of the propofition, the obje<9:
ofthe verb, the land, or it, as our Tranflators fup«
ply it ; whicTi furely oiight to have been expreffed,
and not to have been left to be fupplied by the
^•eader. In a wordj I believe, there is fome miftake
in the Text : and here ffie lxx help us out ; they
had In their copy "Vi, mountiiin, inftead of Dy, people,
7QV opovg rov dyiov trov. ""Not only our enemies have
taken poffeffion of mount Sion, and trodden down
thy fandluary ; evert far worfe than this has befalleii
us : Thou haft long fince utterly caft us off; and
¦doft not confider us as thy peculiar people."

CHAP.

GHAP. LXir» ' 1 S A 1 A Hi -^67

CHAP. l:xiv.

a. — 'the dry fuel — ] iTDnn, "It means dry
ftubble, and ffie root Is DDn:" fays Rabbi Jonah,
apud Sal. ben Melec in loc. Which is approved by
Schultens, Orig. Hebr. p. 30.
"The fire kindfing the ftubble does not feem like
enough to the melting ofthe mountains to be brought
as a fimije to it. Q,uid fi fic ?
That the mountains might flovi/ down at thy pre
fence !
As the fire of things fmelted burneth,
¦ As the fire caufeth the waters to boil — *
There is no doubt of the Hebrew words of the fe-»
cond line bearing that- verfion." dr. jubb. -
I fubmit thefe different interpretations to the
reader's judgement. For my own part, I am inclined
to ffiink, that the Text is much corrupted in this
place. The Antient Verfions have not the leaft
traces of either of the above interpretations. The
LXX and Syr. agree exadlly together In rendering this
line by, "As the wax melteth before the fire,"
which can by no means be reconciled with the pre-?
fent Text. Vulg. for Dtmn read 1DD\
' Ibid. That the nations — ] For D'>13, the nations,
four MSS, (one of them Antient,) have crnn, tha
ntountains.
'' 4. For never have mert heard— ^] St. Paul is ge-
j^erally fuppofed to have quoted this pafjage of Ifai-.
/.¦ , ah.

3^$ JjrC^TES OM CHAP. iXir.
ah, I Cor, ii. 9. and Clemens Romanus in his Firft
Epiftle has made the fame quotatiori, very nearly In
the fame words with ffie Apoftle. fiut the citation
is fo very different both from the Hebrew Text and
the Verfion of Lxk, that it feems very difficult, if
not impoffible, to reconcile them by any literal
emendation j ,wIthout going beyond the bounds of
temperate criticifm. One claufe, " neither hath it
entered into the heart of man," (which, by the way,
js a phrafe purely Hebrew, 2^ bV n^y, ap.d ffiould
feem to belong to the Prophet,) is wholly left out ;
and another is repeated without force or propriety,
viz. " nor perceived by the ear," after " never have
heard:" and the fenfe and expreffion of the Apoftle,
is far preferable to that of the ' Hebrew Text. Un
der thefe difficulties, I am at a lofs what to do bet
ter, than to offer to the reader this, perhaps difa
greeable, alternatlye : either to confider the Hebrew
Text and lxx In this place as wilfully difguifed and
Corrupted by the Jews ; of which pradlice, in regard
to other quotations in the New Teftament from the
Old, they lie under ftrong fufpicions : fee Dr. Owen,
on the Verfion of the Seventy, fedl. vi — tx : or to
look upon St. Paul's quotation as not made from
Ifaiah, but from one or other of the two Apocryphal
Books, mtitled. The Afcenfion of Efaiah, and The
Apocalyps of Elias, in both of which this paflage
was found ; and the Apoftle is by fome fuppofed in '
other places to have quoted f^ach apocryphal writings.
As the firft of thefe conclufions will perhaps not ea
fily be admitted by many ; fo I muft fairly w^rn my
readers, that the fecond is treated by Jerom as little
better ffian herefy. See his Comment on this place
of Ifaiah.
The variations on this place are as follows : lyoty,
ij&^ have heard, a ms, and lxx, read WQ'if, we
have heard : for ffie fecond )^ fixty-nine mss, and
four

CHAV. LXIV. ISAIAH. / 369
"four Editions, have K^l ; and Syr. Chald. Vulg. and
fo l^yi, LXX, Syr. r\a is added before D''n"7K in ms
Bodl. ''Ona^, plural, two mss, and all the arttient
Verfions. 5. Thou meeteft with joy. thofe — ] Syr.' reads
— '•wn titi r\r\a. y^is.
Ibid. Becaufe of our deeds, for we have been re
beUious.] ytyi31 obiy Dm. I am fully perfuaded,-
that thefe words, as they ftand in tlie prefent Pie-
brew text, are utterly unintelligible : there is no
doubt of the meaning of each word feparately, but
put together they make ho fenfe at all. I conclude
therefore, that the copy has fuffered by miftakes of
tranfcribefs.In'thls place. The corruption is of long
ftanding ; for the antient Interpreters were as much
at a lofs for the meaning as the moderns, and give
nothing fatisfadlory. The lxx render thefe words
by ^toii raro sTrT^v.'-fiyijj.iv : ffiey feem to have read
y'ii>S3 an'^by; without helping the fenfe. In this dif
ficulty what remains, but to have .recourfe to con
jedlure ? Archbiffiop seck«r was diffatisfied with
theprefent reading: he propofes, ytyiai )Tbv mn;
'• look upon us, and we ffiall,.. or that we may, be
faved :" which gives a very good fenfe, but feems to ,
have no fufficient foundation. Befides, the word
yii>131, which is attended with great difficulties, feems
to be corrupted, as well as the two preceding; and
the true reading of it is, I think, given by the lxx,
yii'D31, s-!iXavvi9'/)p.sv, (fo they render the Verb yi^rs.
Chap. XLVI. 8. and Ezek. xxxm. 12.) parallel to
Kami, r,y.aproiJ.sy. For oVw 2"\2, which mean no
thing, r would propofe , irbbynn ; v/hich I prefume
was firft altered to Dn"''?'?yan, an eafy and common
miftake of the third perfon plural of the Pronoun for
the firft, fee Note on Chap, xxxni, 2.) and then
with fome further alteration to o'piy UT\2. The Dn'''?y,
VOL. II. - BE which

37° NOTES ON CHAP. LXIV.
which the lxx probably found In their copy, feems
to be a remnant of Dn''^bypi.
This, it may be faid, is impofing your fenfe upon
the Prophet. It may be fo : for perhaps thefe may
not be the very words of the Prophet ; but however
it is better than to impofe upon him what makes no
fenfe at all ; as they generally do, who pretend to
render fuch corrupted paffagesi. . For Inftance, our
own Tranflators: " in thofe Is continuance, and we
ffiall be faved :" In thofe — In whom, or what ?
There Is no Antecedent to the Relative. In the ways of
God, fay fome : with cur fathers, fays Vitringa, joining
it In conftrudlion with the verb r&lp, thou haft been
angry with them, our fathers ; and putting' Nanil, for'
we have finned. In a parenthefis. But there has not
been any mention of our fathers ; and the whole fen
tence, thus difpofed, is utterly difcordant from the
Hebrew idiom and conftrudlion. In thofe Is conti
nuance : ab^iy rtieans a deftined, but hidden and un
known, portion of time ; but'cannot mean continu
ation of time, or continuance, as It is here rendered.
Such forced Interpretations are equally conjedlural
with the boldeft critical emendation ; and generally
have this further difadvantage, that they are altoge
ther unvs'orthy of the Sacred Writers.
6. There is no one — ] Twelve mss have X'a,
without the Conjundlion 1 prefixed: and fo read
Chald. and Vulg.
Ibid. And haft delivered us up — ] Fer 13}iani',
haft ''ffolved us, lxx, Syr. Chald. had in their eo-
Y)ie&'QyXir\, hafl delivered us up. Houbigant. sec
ker. 7. But Thou, .0 Jehovah, Thou — ] For nny>,
and now, five mss, (one of them Antient,) and the
two oldeft Editions of i486 and 1488, have nnNt,
and thou : and fo Chald. feems to have read. The re-

CHAP. LXIV, ISAIAH. 371
repetition has great force. The other word may be
well fpared.
Ibid. We are all of us the work of thy hands. J
Three MSS, (two of them Antient,) and lxx, read
nwa, without the Conjundlion 1 prefixed. , And
for IT, the Bodl. and two other mss, lxx, Syr.
Vulg. read y^\ in the plural number.

CHAP. LXV.

This Chapter contains a defence of God's pro
ceedings in regard to the Jews, with reference to
their complaint in the Chapter preceding. God is
Introduced declaring, that he had called the Gen
tiles, though they had not fought him'; and had re
jedled his own people, for their refufal to attend to
his repeated ca,U ; for their obftinate difobedience,
their Idolatrous pradlices, and deteftable hypocrify.
That neverthelefs he would not deftroy them all ;
but -ivould preferve a remnant, to whom he would
make " good his antient promifes. Severe punlffi-
ments are threatened to the apoftates ; and great re
wards ate promifed to the obedient In a future flou
riffiing flate of the Church.
I. I am made known to thofe that afked not for
me] iniynn3, f/>t<p«V'ig sysvopiijv, LXX, Alex, and St,
Paul, Rom. x. 20. who haS however Inverted the
order of the phrafes, t^'pavvjg sysvoiJ.riv, and 4vps^Tiy^
from that which they have In lxx. inii^mj means,
" qusfitus fum cum effedlu; I am fought, fo as to
be found." Vitring. If this be the true meaning of
B B 3 the

37^ ', NOTES ON CHAP.LXV.
the word, then "^a^tf, that asked, which follows,.
ffiould feem to be defedlive, the verb wanting its
objedl: but two mss, (one of them Antient,) have
*J1^Nty, "afked me; and another ms, ib "b^ll}, afked'
for me ; one or other of which feems to be right..
But Cocceius in Lex. ajid Vitringa In his Tranflation,
render TrtS'mJ by " I have anfwered;" and fo the
word Is rendered by all the antient Verfions in Ezek,
XX. 3, 31. If this be right, the tranflation will be,
" I have anfwered thofe that afked not." I leave
this to the reader's judgement; but have foUowed in
my Tranflation the lxx, and St- Paul, and the mss
, above mentioned. '^'Wp2 is written regularly and
fully In above a hundred mss, and in the oldeft
Edition, ¦•mpa.
3, 4. Sacrificing in the gardens, and — ] Thefe
are inftances of heatheniffi fuperftition, and idola
trous pradlices, to which the Jews were immoderately
addidled before the Babyloniffi Captivity. The
heathen worffiiped their idols in groves : whereas
God, in oppofition to this fpecies of idolatry, com
manded, his people, when they ffiould come into
the promifed land, ,to deftroy all the places wherein
the Cana^n;tes had ferved their gods, and in parti-
tularto burn their groves with fire, Deut. xn. 2,
?. TLefe apoftate jews facrificed upon altars built
»f bricks ; in oppofition to the command of God in
iCg^rd to his altar, which was to be of unhewn
ftone; Exod. xx. 25. " — & pro uno altari, quod
impolitis lapidibus Dei erat lege conftrudlum, coc-
tos lateres & agrorum ceipites, hoftiarum fanguin'e
cruentabant." Hieron. in loc. Or it means perhaps,
that they facrificed upon the roofs of th'eir houfes,.
which were always flat, and paved with brick, or
tile, or plafter of terrace : an inftance of this idola-
troiis pradlice we find in 2 Kings xxm. 12. where
't is faid, that Jofiah " beat down the altars that
werer

'CHAP. -LV. ISAIAH. , 373
were on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz,
which the kings of Judah had made." See alfo Zeph.
I. 5. Sir John Cliardin's ms Note on this place of
Ifaiah is as follows: " Ainfi font tous les Gentiles,
fur les lieux eleves, & fur les terraffes, appellez la-
teres_, 'parceque font faits de briq." " Who -dwell
in the fepulchres, and lodge in the caverns," — for
the purpofes bf necromancy and divination ; to obtain
•dreams and revelations. Another inftance' of hea
theniffi fuperftition :
" Hue dona facerdos
¦*' Cum tulit, & casfarum ovium fub nofte fi!enti
" Pellibus incubuit flratis, fomnofque petivit;
¦" Mult-3 modis fimulachra videt volitantia miris,
•"' Et varias audit voces, fruiturque deorum '"
" CoUoquio, atque intis Acheronta affatur, Avernis."
Virg. SjTi. vii. 86.
*' Here in diflrefs th' Italian nations come,
" Anxious, to clear their doubts, and learn their dootp,:
" Firft, on the fleeces of the flaughter'd fheep,
-" By night the facred prieft diffolves in fleep :
" 'When, in a train, before his fluraibering eye,
" Thin airy forms, .and wonderous vilions fly.
" He calls the p.ovsr'rs, who guard th' infernal floods,.
" And talks, infpir'd, familiar vvith the gods." Pitt.
" Who eat fwine's flelli," — which was expreffly for
bidden by the law, Levu x'l. 7 ; but among tbe hea
then was in principal requeft in their- facrifices and
feafts. Antiochus Epiphanes compelled the Jews to
.eat fwine's fleffi, as a full proof of their renouncing
their reUgion, 2 Mace. vi. 18. and vn. i. " And
the broth of abominable meats, "-^] for luftratlons,
magical arts, and other fuperftitious and abominable
pradlices. Ibid- — in the caverns.] D'«'ni2J3n, ,a v/ord of
¦doubtful fignification. An Antient ms has DHISJl,
¦another DHUJ, in the rocks : and Le Clerc thinks the '
B B 3 ' LXX

374 NOTES ON CHAP.LXV,
LXX had it fo in their copy. They render It by sy
retg crTr^haioig.
Ibid. — in their veffels.] For on^'PD, a ms had
at firft Qn'''7Da. So Vulg. and Chald. and the Pre
pofition feems neceffary to the fenfe.
5. — for I am holler than thou] So the Chaldee
renders It. n-nt^np is the fame with "jaa ^nt^np. In
the fame manner ijhpin, Jer. xx. 7. is ufed for npjn
*Jaa, thou art ftronger than I.
7. ' — into" their, bofom] For _^y, ten mss' and
five Editions have ^K. So again at the end of this
verfe, feventeen mss and four Editions have '?^*.
6, 7. —their iniquities, and the iniquities of their
fathers] For the Pronoun affixed of the fecond
perfon dd, your, twice, read on^ their, in the third
perfon ; with lxx, and Houbigant.
8. -^forthe fake of ffiy fervants] It Is to be ob
ferved, that one of the Koningffiurg jmss collated
by Lilienthal points the word P^J', fingular ; that
is, my fervant, meaning the Meffiah; and fo read
the LXX : which gives a very good fenfe.
9. — Inheritor of my mountain] ''i~\7\, In the fin
gular number ; fo lxx, and Syr. that Is, of mount
Sion. See ver. 11. and. chap. lvi. 7. to which,
Sion, the Pronoun Feminine fingular, added to the
Verb in the next line, refers ; nitidis Jhall inherit
her. 19. — Sharon, and the vaUey of Achor — ] Two
ofthe moft fertile parts of Judea; famous for their
rich paftures ; the former to the wefl, not far from
Joppa ; the latter north of Jericho-, near Gilgal. ,
1 1 . Who fet In order a table for Gad — ] The
difqulfitions ^nd conjedlures of the Learned con
cerning Gad and Meni are infinite and uncertain :
perhaps the moft probable may be, that Gad means
Good Fortune, and Meni the Moon. " But why
ffiould we be foficitous about it ? fays Schmidius. It

CHAP.LXV. ISAIAH, 375
It appears fufficiently, from the circumftances, that
they were falfe gods, either ftars, or fome other na
tural objedl ; or a mere fidlion. The Holy Scrip
tures did not deign to explain more cleariy what
thefe objedls of Idolatrous worffiip were ; bjit chofe
rather that the memory of the knowlege of them
ffiould be utterly abofifhed. And God be praifed,
that they are fo totally abollffied, that we are now
quite at a lofs to know, what and what fOrt of things
they were.'^ Schmidius on the place, and on Jud.
n. 13. Bibl. HaUenfia.
Jerom, on the place, gives an account of this
idolatrous pradlice of the apoftate Jews, of making
a Feaft,, or a Ledllfternium, as the Romans called
it, 'for thefe pretended deities. " Eft in cundlls ur
bibus, & maxime In iEgypto, & in Alexandria,
idololatrias vetus confuetudo, ut ultimo die anni, &
menfis ejus qui extremus eft, ponant menfam refer
tam varii generis epulis, & poculum mulfo mixtum ;
vel praeteriti anni vel futuri fertilltatem aufplcantes.
Hoc autem faclebant & Ifraelitae, omnium fimula-
chrorum portenta venerantes ; & nequaquam altari
vidllmas, fed hujufmodi menfse liba fundebant." See
alfo-Le Clerc on the place; and on lxvi. 17. and
( Dav. Mifii Diflert. v.
The allufion to Meni, which fignifies number, is
ob\'ious. If there had been the like allufion to Gad,
which might have been expedled, it might perhaps
have helped to let us Into the meaning of that word.
It appears from Jerom's Verfion of this place, that
the words ra ^xtpLoy.cp, (or ^aip.ovt, as fome copies,
have it,) and tjj tux^i ftood in his time in the Greek
Verfion in ari Inverted order from that which they
have in the prefent copies ; the latter then anfwering
to nj, the former to '>:a : by which fome difficulty
would be avoided ; for it commonly fuppofed,' that
n:) fignifies rvxn- See Gen. xxx. ii. apud lxx.
B B 4 This

375 . NOTES ON CHAP.LXV.
This matter is fo far well cleared up by mss Pachom^
and I D. ti. whicli agree in placing thefe two words
in that order, wliich Jerom's Verfion fuppofes.
15. — ffiall flay }^u.] For '"J/vani, fhall flav thee,
LXX and Chald. read 2'2lP!''ClT\^,' fhall ftay you, Tphiidl.
17. ¦ — I create new iieavens, and a new eartli]
Concerning this image and the application of it, fee
De S., Poef. Hebr. Prsl. ix.
18. — in the age to come, whicli I create} So in
Cliap. IX. 5. ly i^J"}, -maryip rov jj,sK?^ovTog aioovog, LXX.
See Bifhop Chandler, Defence of Chriftianlty, p.
136.- 20. For Dli'a, thence, lxx, Syr. Vulg. read -Qti^,
there. ' .-
21. They ffiall not build, and another inhabit]
The reverfe of tlie curfe denounced on the difobe
dient, Deut. XXVIII. 30. " Tliou ffialt build a houfe,
and thou ffialt not dwell therein ; thou fhalt plant
a vineyard, and ffialt not gather the grapes thereof."
22. For as the days of a tree — ] It is commonly
fuppofed, that the oak, one of the moft long-lived'
ofthe trees, lafts about a thoufand years; being five
hundred years growing to full perfedlion, and as
many decaying : which feems to be a moderate and
probable computation. See Evelyn, Sylva, B. in.
Ch. in. The prefent Emperor of China, in his
very ingenious and fenfible poem, intituled, Eloge
de Moukden, a tranflation of whicli in French was
piiblifhed at Paris, 1770, fpeaks of a tree in his
ciuntry, which lives more than a hundred ages; and
of another, Vv'hich after fourfcore ages is only in its
prime, p. 37, 38. But his Imperial' Majefty's Com
mentators, in their Note on the place, carry the
matter much further ; and quote authority, which
affirms, tliat tlie tree laft mentioned by the Emperor,
the Immortal Tree, after having lived ten thoufand
years, is ftill only in its prime. I fufpedl that the.
Chinefe

CHAP. LXV. I S A I A II. 377
Chinefe enlarge fomewhat in tlieir national chrono
logy, as well as In that of their trees. See ,Chou
King, Preface, by Monf Guignes. The Prophet's'
idea feenis to be, that they ffiall live to the age of
the Antediluvians ; which feems to be very juftly
exprefled by the days of a tree, according to our
notions. 23. My chofen ffiall not labour in vain] I re
move ^Tni from the end- of the 22d to the beginning
of the 23d verfe, on the authority of lxx, Syr.
Vulg. and a MS : contrary to ffie divifion In the
'Maforetic Text.
' Ibid. Neither ffiall they generate a ffiort-lived
race] n^n2^, in feftinationem, what ffiall foon, haften
away. Eig xarapav, for a curfe, lxx. They feem to
have fead rb'd^, Grotius. But Pf lxxviii. 'i'^.
both juftifies and explains-the word here :
?n^a'- bina ^sn
" And he confumed their days In vanity;
" And their years In hafte."
^sra o-TToi^^c, fay the lxx. Jerom on this place of
Ifaiah explains it to the fame purpofe : "sig ayv-jra^-
^lay, hoc' eft, ut effe defiftant."
25. — fliaU feed.together] For nn«3, as one, an
Antient MS has inn% together; the ufual word, to
the fame fenfe, but very different in the letters. Lkx,
Syr. and Vulg. feem to agree with the ms.

CHAP.

378 NOTES ON CHAP. LXVr.

CHAP. LXVI.

This Chapter Is a continuation of the fubjedl of
the foregoing. The Jews valued themfelves much
upon their Temple, and the pompous fyftem offer^
vices performed in it, which they fuppofed were to
be of perpetual duration ; and they affum^ed great
confidence and merit to themfelves for their ftridl
obfervanee of all the externals of their religion'. And
at the very time, when the judgements, denounced
in ver. 6th and 12th ofthe preceding Chapter, were
hanging over their heads, they were rebuilding, by
Herod's munificence, the Temple in a moft magni
ficent manlier. God admonlffies them, that the
Moft High dwelleth not in temples made with hands ;
and that a mere external worffiip, how diligently fo
ever attended, when accompanied with wicked and
idolatrous pradlices In the worffilpers, would never
be accepted by him. This their hypocrify is fet
forth in ftrong colours : whicli brings the Prophet
again to-the fubjedl of the former Chapter; and he
purfues it in a different manner, with more exprefs
declaration of the New Economy, and of the flou
riffiing ftate of the Church under It. The Increafe
of the Church Is to be fiidden and aftoniffilng. They -
that efcape of the Jews, that is, that become con
verts to the Chriftian Faith, are to be employed in
the Divine Miffion to the Gentiles, and are to adl
,as Priefts in prefenting the Gentiles as an offering to
God: fee Rom. xv. 16. And both, now colledled into

GHAP. LXVI. ISAIAH. 375
into one body, ffiall be witneffes of the final perdi
tion of the obftinate and irreclairaal^le.
Thefe two Chapters ffianifcflly relate to the caUing
of the Gentiles, the eftablifliment of the Chriftian
Difpenfation, and the reprobation of the apoftate
Jews, and their deftru(9:Ion executed by the Ro
mans. 2. — all thefe things are mine] A word, abfo
lutely neceffary to the fenfe, is here loft out of the
Text : ^y, mine ; it is preferved by lxx, 'and Syr.
3. He that flayeth an ox, killeth a man ; — ] Thefe
are Inftances of wickednefs joined, with hypocrify;
of the mofl: flagitious crimes committed by thofe,
who at the fame time affedled great ftridlnefs in the
performance of all the external fervices of religion.
God, by the Prophet Ezekiel, upbraids the Jews
with the fame pradlices: " When they had flain
their children to their idols, tlien they came the
fame day into my fandluary to profane It." Chap.
XXIII. 30. Ofthe fame kind was the hypocrify of
the Pharifees in our Saviour's time ; "who devoured
widows houfes, and for a pretence made long pray
ers."' Matt. xxm. 14.
The generality of Interpreters, by departing from
the literal rendering of the Text, have totally loft
the true fenfe of it ; and have fubftituted in its place
what makes no gobd fenfe at all: for It Is not eafy
to ffiew, how in any circumftances facrifice and
murder, the prefenting of legal offerings and idola
trous worffiip, can. poffibly be of the fame account
in the fight of God.
Ibid. — that maketh an oblation, [offereth] fwine's
blood] A word here likewife, neceffary to com
plete the fenfe, is perhaps Irrecoverably loft out>"
the Text, The Vulg. and Chaid. add the word of--
fereth, to make out the fenfe ; not, as I imagine,
from any different reading, (for the word wanted feems

380 NOtES ON CHAP.LXV!..
feems to have been loft before the time of the oldeft
of them, as the lxx had it not in their copy-;) but
from mere neceffity.,
Le Clerc thinks, that n^ya Is to be repeated from
the beginning of this member ; but that Is not the
cafe in the parallel members, which have another
and a different verb in the fecond place. " m, fic
Verfiones : putarem tamen legendum participium
aliquod, &: quidem n2t, cum fequatur n, nifi jam
prascefferat." seckkr. Houbigant fupplies ^DK,^
eateth. After aU, I think the mofl probable word
is that which'Chald. and Vulg. feem to have defigned
to reprefent ; that is, nnpa.
5. Say ye to your brethren — ] The Syr. reads,
taynab. Tiua ; and fo the LXX, Edit. Comp.' siTran
tnhkipoig VJJ.MV and ms Marchal. has a^K'^poig' and fo
CyrlU and Procopius read and explain it. ' It is not
eafy to make fenfe of tiie reading of lxx in the other '
Editions : tivrare a^cA(poi yijjmv roig pLia-ovcriv vpag — but
for jjjuwi', MS I D. II . alfo has vpMv.
,. 8. — and who hath feen] Twenty mss, (four
Antient,) and the two oldeft Editions, with two
-others, have ""DI, adding the Conjundlion 1 : and fo
read all the Antient Verfions.
11. — from her abundant ftores] For na, two
MSS, and the oldeft Edition of 1488, have Vta ; and
the latter t is upon a rafure in three other mss. It
is remarkable, that Kimchi and Sal. b. Melech, not
being able to make any thing of the word as it ftands
in the Text, fays, it means the fame with vta : that
is, in effedl, they admit of a various reading, or an
error, in the Text. But, as Vitringa obferves, what
fenfe is there in fucking nouriffiiuent from the fplen-
dour of her glory ? He therefore endeavours to cle-
•duce another fenfe from tlie word 1*1 ; but as far as it
appears to me, without any authority. -I am more
incfined to accede to the opinion of thofe learned Rab-

C-KAP. LXVI. ISAIAH, 3-8s
Rabbins, and to think that there is fome miftake irt
the word ; for that in truth is their opinion, though
they difguife it, by faying, that the corrupte'd word
means the very fame with that which they believe to-
be genuine. 'So in Chap. xli-. 24. they fay, that
VBa, a viper, means the fame with D^^*, nothing ; In
ftead of acknowleging that one is written by miftake
inftead of the other. I would propofe to read in this
place V?a, or ita, (inftead of rtO-;) from the ftores ;
from \\X, to nourijh, to feed: fee Gen. xlv. 23. a
Chron. xi. 23. Pf cxliv. 13. And this perhaps
may be meant by Aquila, who renders the word by
(KTTb r;san(^a.'7Tiag : with which that of the Vulgate,
" ab omnimoda gloria," and of Symmachus and The
odotion, nearly agree. Th'e. Chaldee follows a dif
ferent reading, without improving the fenfe; p'iO'^
fr^om: the wine.
12. - — like the great River, And like the other
Stream — ] That is, the Euphrates ; (it ought to
have been pointed *^nJp, ut fluvius ille, as the Ri
ver ;) and the Nile. '
Ibid. And ye ffiall fuck at the breaft] Thefe two -
'words "W bv, ^t the breajl, feem to have been omit-,
ted in the prefent Text, from their likenefs to the
two words following; njj bV, at the fide.. A very
probable conjedlure of Houbigant. Chald. and Vulg.
have omitted the two latterwords- Inftead of the two,
former. See Note on Chap. lx. 4.
15. — ffiall come as a fire] For ti>»n, in flre, the
LXX had in their copy iDa'2, as afire; cog ¦zs-up.
Ibid. To breathe forth his anger] Inflead of
y^^rf?, as pointed by the Maforetes, to render, but
I underftand It as yWTf], to breathe, from 2m.
iij. — after the rites of Achad — ] The Syrians
worffiiped a god caUed Adad. PUn. Nat. Hift.
xxxvn. 1 1. Macrob. Sat. i. 23. They held him
to be the higheft and greateft of the gods, and to be
3 tlie

3^2 NOTES ON CHAP. LXVI.
ffie fame with Jupiter and the Sun: and the name Adad,
fays Macrobius, fignifies One ; as likewife does the
word Achad in Ifaiah. Many learned men therefore
have fuppofed, knd with fome probability, that the
Prophet means the fame pretended deity. nnK, in '
the Syrian and Chaldean dlaledls is nn ; and perhaps
by reduplication of the laft letter, to exprefs perfedl
Unity, it may have become Tin, not Improperly
expreffed in Latin by Macrobius Adad, without the
afpirate. It was alfo pronounced by the Syrians
ffiemfelves, with a weaker afpirate, mn; as In Ben-
hadad, Hadadezer, names of their kings, which
were certainly taken from their chief objedl of wor
ffiip. This feems to me to be a probable account of
this Name.
But the Maforetes corredl the Text in this place ;
their marginal reading Is nni*, which is the fame
word, only in the Feminine form : arid fo read thirty
MSS, (fix Antient,) and, the two oldeft Editions.
Tins Le Clerc approves, and fuppofes It to mean
Hecate, or the Moon ; and he fupports his hypo-
. thefis by arguriients not at aU improbable. See his
Note on the place.
Whatever the particular mode of idolatry, which
the Prpphet refers to, might be, the general fenfe of ,
the place is perfexftly clear. But Chald. and Syr. and
after them Symmachus and Theodotiort, cut off at
ortce all thefe difficulties, by taking the word nnJ*
in its common meaning, not as a proper name ; the
two latter rendering the fentence thus : oiria-oo aKT^tj-
7^'jOv sv jwtcTii) tyStovrcxiv ro xpsag ro ypi^stov one after ano
ther, in the midft of thofe that eat fwine's flefh. I fup
pofe, they all read in their copies nni* nnK, one by
one, or perhaps "inK nnt* nnK, one after another. See
a large Differtation on this fubjedl in Davidis Millii
Diflertationes Seledlss, Differt. vi. 18.

CHAP. LXVI. ISAIAH. 3^3
1 8. For I know their deeds — J A word is here
loft out of the prefent Text, leaving the Text quite
imperfedl. The word Is ynV, knowing, fupplied
from the Syriac. The Chald. had the fame word in
the copy before him, which he paraphrafes by *anp
]^3, their deeds are manifeft before me : and the Aldine
and Complutenfian Editions of lxx acknowlege the
fame word, s'jriga^j.at ; w;hlcli is verified by ms Pa
chom. and the Arabic Verfion. I think there can
be little doubt of Its being genuine.
Ibid. And I come — ] For ¦ T\a2, which will not
accord with any thing in the fentence, I read K3,
with a MS ; the Participle anfwering to ynv, with
which agree lxx, Syr. Vulg. Perhaps it ought to
be K21, Syr. quando veniam : and fo lxx, according
to Edit. Aid. and Complilt. and Cod. Marchal.
19. — who draw the bow] I much fufpedl, that
the words rwp >yD'0, who draw, the bow, are a cor
ruption of the word ^{i^a, Mofchi, the name ,of a
' nation fituated between the Euxine and Cafpian Seas ;
and properly joined with b2r\., the Tibareni : fee
Bochart, Phaleg. in. 12. The lxx have p-aa-ox,
without any thing of the drawers of tbe bow : the
word being once taken for a Participle, the bow was ^
added to make fenfe of It. rwp, the bow, is omitted
in a MS.
Ibid. — who never heard my name] For "Vaty,
my fame, I read with lxx and Syr. "^tyo, my name.
20. ¦ — and in counes] There Is a fort of vehicle,
much ufed in the Eaft, confifting of a pair of ham
pers, or cradles, thrown acrofs a camers back, one
on each fide ; in each of which a perfon is carried.
They have a covering- to defend them from the rain
and the fun. Thevenot calls them Counes, i. p. ^i,6.
MaUlet defcribes them as covered cages hanging ori
both fides of a camel. At Aleppo, fays Dr. Ruffel,
" women of inferior coij.dition in longer journies are
com-

^84 NOTES ON , CHAP. LXVI.
commonly ftowed, one on each fide of a mule, in
a fort of covered cradles." Nat. Hift. of Aleppo, p.
89... Thefe feem to be vvhat ffie Prophet mearis by
the word D^is. See Harmer, Obferv. i. p. 445.
Sll. — and for Levites] For DM'?'?, fifty-nine mss,
(eight Antient,) have a''l'?^1, adding tiie Conjundlion
1, as the fenfe feems neeeflarily to require,: and fo
read all the Antient, Verfions. See-Jofh. in. 3. and
the Various. Readings .on- that place in Kennicott's
Bible, ..if
24'. For their worm ffiall not die — ] Thefe words
of the Prophet are, applied by our bleffed Saviour,
Mark IX. 44. to exprefs the everlaftirig puniffiment of
the wicked In Gehenna, or in Hell. Gehenna, or the
Valley of Hinnom, was very- near to Jerufalem to tlie
¦ fouth-eaft : it \y:xs the place where the idolatrous Jews
, celebrated that horrible rite of making their children
pafs through the fire, tliat is, of burning them in
facrifice, to Moloch. To put a ftop to this abomi
nable prajdlice, Jofiali defiled, or defecrated, the
place, by filling it with human bonesi 2 Kings xxm.
10. 14, and probably it was tfie cuftom afterwards to
throw out the carcaffes of animals there ; and it be
came the conimon burying place for the poorer peo
ple of Jerufalem. Our Saviour expreffed the ftate
of the Bleffed by fenfible images ; fuch as Paradife,
Abraham's bofom, or, which is the fanie thing, a
¦place to recline next to Abraham at table in the-
kingdom of heaven; fee M-att. vni. 11., (Casnabat
Nerva cum paucis. Velento- proximus, atque etiam
ihfinu retnmhehat." Plin. Epift. i v. 32. Compare
John xin. 23.) for v.'e could not poflibly have any
conception of it, but by analogy from worldly ob
jedls : in like" manner he exprelfed the place of tor
ment under the image of Gehenna ;. and the purilffi-
mentof the wicked, bythe worm which there preyed
on the carcafl'es,. and' the fire which confumed-, thfe'
wretched

CHAP. LXVI. ISAIAH. 385
wretched vidlims. Marking however, in the ftirongeft
manner, the difference between Gehenna and the
invifible place of torment ; namely, that in the for
mer the fuffering is tranfient : the worm itfelf, that
preys on the body, dies ; and the fire, which totally
confumes it. Is foon extinguiffied : whereas in the
figurative Gehenna the inftruments of puniffiment
fhall be everlafting, and the fuffering without end :
for ffiere " the worm dieth not, and the fire is not
quenched." Thefe emblema,tical Images, expreffing Heaven
and Hell, were in ufe among the Jews before our
Saviour's time ; and in ufing them he complied with
their notions, " Bleffed is he that ffiall eat bread In
the kingdom pf God," fays the Jew to our Saviour,
Luke XIV. 15. And in regard to Gehenna, the
Chaldee Paraphraft, as I obferved before on Chap.
' XXX. 33. renders everlafting, or continual, burnings,
by " the Gehenna of everlafting fire." And before
his time the fon of Sirach, vn. 17. had faid, " the
vengeance of the ungodly Is fire and worms." So
likewife the Author of the book of Judith; " Wo
to the nations rifing up agajnfl my kindred : the
Lord Almighty will take vengeance of them in the
day of judgement, in putting fire and worms in their
fleffi:" Chap. xvi. 17. manifeflly referring to the
fame emblem.

VOL. II. € c INDEX

IISTDEX OF TEXTS
OCCASIONALLY ILLUSTRATED.
The Figures refer to the Pages of the Notes, In
Volume II. ; the fmall Numeral Letters to the
Pages of ffie Dissertation, in Volume I.

Genesis.

XIV, 21

Page 116

11, IO
xm, IO
XXIV, 47
XXVI, ao
XXX, 1 1
XXXI, 34

' Page 23 23
47
245
375 33
— 27
XV, 17
 20, 21
XVI, 9, 10
XX, 25
XXI, 7
 10 i
lxvi.
84
54,57
75' 258
, 40
37a
308 52
364 68
 42,.
XXXIII, i;
53
3
a6o
XXIII, 20, 21
 28
XL, II
XLII, 6
XLIX, 11
306
58, 59
XXIV, 6
xxv, 22
XXVIII, 40
XXIX, 6
175
350 355
Exodus.
 42, 43
131
xxxm, Q. — 4,
H
364
IV, 10
75
 13
260
V
103
 14, 15
364
VI, 12
75
xxxvm, 8
91
X, 21
99
XL, 34—38
40
XI, 5
294
— 38
54
xn, 22
195
— 23
•
219
Leviticus.
— 29
294
XIII, 21
54
IV
14
XIV, 13, 1
'4
^95
y.t, 12, 13
c c 2
75
1=^
iNDESi: of- texts.

IX, ^4

75

XXII, 15

216

XI, 7

373

 8

166

xm, 45

324

xxm, 4

165

XIV, 42

76

XXIV, i

308

XIX, 23— 25

359

xxv, 4

205

XXI, lb

66

 7

211

XXII, 23

66

 9

309

xxm, 36

15

XXVII, iji

338

XXV, 9, &c.

353

XXVIII, 30

37^

XXVI, 8

214

XXX, 19 ,

6

.XXXI, 2X

6

XXXII
lvi', lxiii
Numbers.
6
62
— 13
33<^
VI, 4
— 15
277
XI, 5 12
,153
— 16^
lxiv
— 12
292
— — 21^
179
XII, 14
3?2
' — 30
213
xm, 22, 23
^8
 32. 33
63
XIV, 34
158
xxxm, 5, a6
277
XVI, 41, 42
40
^  6
177
XXI, 17, 18
fvi
68
 28
297
XXII, 4
XXIII, 7 — 10
130
—'—- 21, 2,2
249
Joshua.
XXIV, 6
313
XXIX, 35
15
in, 3
384
V, 6
84
X, 24
315
Deuteronomy.
XI, 6,
1 00
,
XV, 2, 5
116
^'3'
292
XVIII, 19
116
— 44
68
XIX, 29
177
.lit, 25
57
xxn, 14.
39
VII, 25
214
vm, 15
2f2
XII, 2, 3
372
Judges.
^  17, 18
359
xvi, 8
15
^'7
315
XVII, 16
212 '
VI, 2
37
 16, 17
30
XI, 31
270
XXI, 23
131
-^34
258
XVIj
INDEX OF tEXTS.
jcVi, 3, 4 5^ X, i6, 17, 21 t7S
XX, 38,40 4i5 —26—29 30
103
219
B,rTH. -—- 38 68
69 35
3S

II, 14
III, 18

1 Samuel.

2 KiNGSi

11,27 lu, 21
IX, 7
— 15
^25 xm, 0
XIV, 4, 5
XV, 27
XVII, 52
XVIII, 6, 7
XIX, 13
XXIV

2 Samuel.

VI, 14, 16
x,4i 5
XI, 23
XIV, 2
XV, 30
XXII, 41
XXIV, 7

I Kings.

iV, 22, 23
TII, 2, 3

INDEX OS" TEXTS.

XX, 9, 1 1

244
247

XXXIII, 11

3»

 1 2 1 •

17

— 17

247

XXXIV, 6, 7, 33

80

 20

168

xxxv, 18

80

XXI, 13

201

xxm, 10, 14

384

.— — 12
372
Ezra.
'  19, 20
80
XXIV, 14
38
I, 2
282
xxv, 4, 5
166
m,U .
lxvi, 75
— 12,22
77
IV, 2
81
IX, 8
174
I Chronicles.
, ,
Nehemiah.
V, 26
92, 99
^^,1%
357
V, 17, 18
40
XIII, 5
176
XII, 24
lxvi
xxviii, 2
352
Esther.
2 Chronicles.
II, 12
50
I, 15
30
VI, 12, and VII, 8
171
VII, I
75
vm, 17, 18
¦34
IX, 18
317
Job.
— 21
34.35
,
XX, 20
82
I. I
161
— 36
35
— 17
179
XXVI, 6, 7
133
— 19
161
 22
72
III, 4, 6, 9
XX
XXIX, 19
153
— 24
245
^ XXXII, 2 — 5
166
V,23
202
 2, 3, 5, 30
168
VIII, 5, 6
xxii
 10
9
IX, 8
330
— 23 ^
i33> 151
XII, 13 — 16
xxviii
" 25, 26, 30, 31 247 XIII, 19
-- 27 230 XVII, 3
-- 30 168 XX, 24 '
-- 32 4 XXI, 18
¦- 33 i70;330v, XXVI, 2, 3
310 310 125
263
,107
XXVI,
inDex op texts.

KXVI, 5

XIX

xxxvm, ig

!

XXVII — XXXI
XXVII, i8

J 30 12

xxxii xl

XLII and XLIII

xxx, 7

31

XLV, I

S5

¦  IO

3°9

XLVI, 9

100

!  30

97

I-, 3,4

5

XXXIII, 18

246

Lvni, 9

104

XXXVII, 9

161 150

LX, 1
LXII, 4

3'9 213

^xxvm, 6

9

LXIV, 6

112,278

XLI, 1

310

LXVIII, 4, 7

250

XLII, 10

353

1 T T T

259

297 279
27
3'
'
 32
LXIX, 5
288
Psalms.
li
 28
53
I, 3
24
LJCXII, 10
288
— 4
22, 263
LXXIII, 4
337
11,7
246
LXXV, 9
18
X, I
340
LXXVI, Title
149
XVIII, 35
XIX, 7 — lO
125
xxxvii
LXXVIII, 33
377 296
- 34
 14
189
 38, 39
341
XX, I
228
 47
59
— 7,8
XXV
^ii
- 71
XXI, I, 2
XV
LXXX, 5
366
xxn, 2
245
 7
112, 278
362 28
LXXXV, 10  14
LXXXVI, 14
286
 29
1B5
xxv
vi, viii
LXXXVII, 6
53
xxx, 5
xxvi, 332
XCIX, 5
352
XXXI, 19, 20
xxxviii
CI
xli
xxxn, 3
245
CII, 6
186
XXXIV,
vi, Vlil
cm, 3
229
'  1-3
xxxv, 5
lxiv
 5
261
263
 9,13, 14
341
- 20
332
.  11
334
XXXVII
vi
"  II, 12
xxiii
 :  I, 2
xxi
 16
258
xxvi
cv. 33
cym, 4, 5
Jxu
xxxvm, 9
245
INDEX OP TEXTS.

CXVI, 1, 9, 12, I
CXVII, 2
CXVIII, I a
CXIX
 57
cxx, 1,-6
CXXVII, 4
cxxxiv cxxxv, 6, 7
CXXXVII, I
.  2
CXXXIX, 14
CXLIV, 5, 6
.  12 — 14
CXLVCXLVI, 2, 3, 10
CXLVIII, 7  13

Proverbs.

317
vJ, vii
xlvi
vi, vii
xvii XX
xlv
249
4, 15 xxxiii
.0 3%
68, 104
vJ, viii
282
xxxiii xlvi
357
xxix 52
536
35^

T, 24—32
ilr, 8
Vi, 16 — 19
— 20
VII, 2
— 22, 23
X, I, 7
XI, 22
— 24 '
XVI, 33
xvm, 10
XXI, I

xxv, 26
XXIX, 26
xxx
 3
XXXI, 10 — ^31

Ecclesiastes.

XXIII.

30

Isaiah.

xxiy
xxix 177 vt

II, S, 6
-.8— 16

-21;
365

XI, 2

xxx

Cawticles,

1,5

xxx^

11,15 .

12

IV, 4

175

— 10, 11

50

vm, 2

18

XXI 60 3839
63 63 18
185 1
7»
xxvi, 103 XX
29s216
xxxviii ? 63
xxxiii ¦ xli
XIV,

INDEX OP TEXTS.

XIV, 14

330

XLIV, 18

76

— 28

72

 26

xxii

XV, 3

xxx

XLV, 1

69

XVI, 10

61

 8

53
Xvn, 9
xxxiii
 16,
17
xxxviii
J3
263
XLVI, 3
xvii
XX
272
 7
xxii
XXII, 6
125
XLVII, 5
176
14
64
XLVIII, 20, 21
250
• — 16
329, 330
XLIX, 4
xxi
XXIV, 17
63
 20,
21
332
XXVI, 5, 6
xlx
L, 5,6
xxix
XXVII, 7
63
 10
xxiii
xxvm, 14, 15,
18 xlviii
XLI, 7, 8
xvii
XXIX, 5 '
263
— 17
— ig
-
iS
211
xxx
xxx, 16
xxiii
— 20
lxix
— 26
123
i-ii, 7, 8,
12
25*
30 33
-208
— 8
259
XXXI, 8
107
Lm, 4
28, 229
9
206
LIV, 4
xvi
xxxn, 1 1
162
 4.5
53
xxxm, I
63
104
 10
LV, 2
— 3
-6,7
x?cvi 107'
xvii xvi
1 T T
XXXIV
' XXXIII 362
xxxv, I, 2
335
LVII, 6
301
XXXVI, XXXVII,
xxxvm,
63
XXXIX
237
13,
14
250,
XXXVI, 17
179
LVIII, 5-
-8
xxviii
XXXVII, 9
272
14
330
xlii
LX, 4
304
"57
— - 6 — 9
288
25
 26
169
— 11
279
2 '5
LXI, 3
63
zg
XL, 2
xxxiii
"~""~ 7
253
XLI, 19
301,335
iXV, II, ]
12
63
 24
¦3«i
 21,
22'
xviii
— 28
xix
LXVI, I
3>7
XLII, 17
xxxviii, 289
XLIII, 18, ig
250
XLIV, 7
112
VOL-, II.
B D
Tere--
INDEX OP TEXTS

-

XLVIII, 43,44
xi-ix, 35

186125

jERfiMIAK.

L, 9

122

-38
281
LI, 27, 28
122
1,6
75
-36
281
 lO
76
II, 18
176
— 21
62
,
— 25
339
Lamentations,
— 27
9
"
-IV, 30
42,43
VI, I
215
I N
Xi
VII, 22, 23^
275
--1,2
xxxvi
 24
9
II
vi
•  29
^35
^4
xl
vm, 7
7
— 8
51
X, 3— 5
293
— lO
»76
— 9
34
— IS
lvii
xn, 7, g
336
m
vi, vii
XVII, 8
22,24
— 1—6
xxxvi
 12
73
— 14
55
xvm, 12
339
— 31
xl
XIX, 9
105
— 39
253
XX, 7
374
— 66
55
xxm, 31
165
rv
vi
xxv, II
180
— 2
175
XXXIII,^
351
— 8
97
XXXVII, 13
333
— '5
hii, 320
XL, 12
77
— 17
245
XLI, 9
37
— 21
161
XLvm
134
—  5
136
791
175
Ezekiel.
13S 139
,141 141
29
-
3*
140,
I, 14
III. 8,9
162
3*
- ' J3
310
rt 1
136
ly, 6
158
34
 36
136,
'39
v, 13
19
37
^35,
136
xm, 9
- 53
xm.
INDEX OP TEXTS,

XIII, 16

129

n, 18

202

XV, 3

173

IV, 13

21

— 3,4

198

V, 7

30

XVI, 11,12

47

VI, 4

xix

xvn, 22 — 24

.30

— 6

275

XX, 3, 31

372

IX, 10

199

— 28

21

X, 8

37

¦47 „

105, 108

XI, 4

7

3CX1I, 18 — 22
3ixni, 39

54

—9

107

379

xn, I

280, 339

 40

42,43

xm, 4

106

XXIV, ij

324

XIV, 9

xxii

XXVI, 14

i8i

 15-18

i8q

x*vii, 12
34
Xxix, 3
• 270
J«Pi.»
 is — 20
88
xxxn, 27
121
'
xxxvn, 11 — 13
1.94
I, 14
15
xxxvm
361
n, 2
96
XXXIX, 4
133
— 7
xvii
¦  8—10
101
— 10
123
 16, 17
233
— 15
15
XLIII, 2
76
— 20, 22
227
 5,6
73
— 25
68
 7
73
m, 10
f9
— 13
61
— 15. 16
123
— it '
xxii
Daniel,
yii, 17
ym, 20
It, &
]HosE.A.
J 80
Amos.
»80
1, I
— a
IV, 11
— 13
V, 10
68
xxi
108
330
211
242
— 19
185
197
— 2I~
D P 2
¦24
14
INDEX OP TEXTS.

V, 25,

26

276

^

VI, 3-

-6

65

»

, Zephaniah.

 12

70
— 13
107
vm, 9
123
''•^o
373
II, 8-
-II
139
I .
III, i;
J .
262
Micah.
Haggai.
^3^
330
,
III, 1—3
41
IV, 1—4
28
",17
6i
— 8
223
V, 2
•
306
— 3
86
VI, 1, 2
¦5
Zechariah.
— 15
xxix
_i6
55
vn, 4
)>
'
197
1,15"'5vm, 23
IX, 12
. 295 54 39
253
1
Nahum.
— 14
X, 4
xm, 4
161174
157
I, II
306
XIV, 5
68
¦"-15
318
 10
61
11,13
100
 19
253
III, 5, 6
4S
'
: — 14
266
Malachi.
' HABAKKDKt
t, I
129
n, II
129
11,5
65
— 12
III, 2, 3
— 15
vv, I
358 54
189 189
Tobit.
INDEX OF TEXTS.

Tobit.

I Maccabees.

xm, l6, 17

333

V, 65

361

Judith.

IV, 7
xvi, 16
— 17

Wisdom.

II, 7, 8
xm, II — 19
XV, 7

EccLtfs.

VII, 15
— 17
XIV, 24
XXIV, 30, 31
XLvm, 17

3 Maccabees

•

111

vr, 1,8

373

354

VII, 1

373

260
385

Matthew.

Ill, 3

254

VI, 28 — 30
197
vm, 11 190, 384
199
 17
229
280
X, 27
17
280
XI, 4, 5
231
xn, 18,
267
xm, 14
73,76
XV, 9
210
XVI, 19
172
 28
361
xvm, 25
308
204
XXI, 33
60
38s
 43
210
»74
xxm, 14
379
25
XXIV, 28
185
169
 29
123
 41
294
Baruch.
Mark.
ri
254 265
280
^,3
II, 9
254229 VII,
vii,

7

IX,

44

XII,

I

XIV,

.65

XV,

19

INDEX OF TEXTS.

210
384 60
310
3iO

LUKS.

John.

1,23
,vii, 37. 39
Xli, 40
— 41,
xm, 23
XV, 6
XVIII, 20, 21

Acts.

123
254353 10
385 190
IDO
357 310361 I9O

», 3 67
— 39, 341

X, 9

167

XI, 28

123

XII, 8

100

XXI,' 4

181'

XXVI, 4, 5

327

xxvm, 26

73

76

* Romans.

I, 20

273

Vl, 17

118

IX, 20, 21

287

— 28

J 09

X. 15

319

— 20

371

XI, 8

73

— 26

348

— 30, 3'

210

XV, 4, 5

13

 12

»'3

 12, 13

?3

254

I ypj^ili 1 HIAJM^.

117
73,76 P
3?4
ri,9
36^
III, 15
?98
198
326
Galatij^ns.
Ill, 3
257
— 13
>3!
EpU'E-
INDEX OP TEXTS.

Ephesians.

Revelation.

", 13, 17

341

1,16

302

in, 7
»73
Hebrews.
IV, 73 •
v,5
73
1 15
'
VI, 15, 16
J15
XIV, lO
18
IV, 12
xm, IS
302 341
XIX, 13, 15, i6
— 17,18
362233
I Peter,
XX
— 4
XXI, 18—21
30 1
278333,
XXII, 16
nd
J-, 24
256
— 24, 25
257
INDEX
INDEX OF PERSONS.

, Abarbanel 322, 333 '
Abendana 9, 1 1
Aben-Ezra i, ir, 47, UO,
300, 328
Aben Tybbon lvi
Abraham 262
Abydenus 160, 283
Addifon 51, 100, 145
Jifchylus 171, 314.
jEtius 278
Agatharchides 288
Ahaz 2, II
Alexander 15.3, 181
Ambrofe 261
Ammianus 274
Antiochus Epiph. lxxxvii
Antipater 294
Aquila lxix, xci, 7, 21, 66,
343
Aratus 172, 204
Arbuthnot 224
Arias Montanus 325, 358
Ariftophants 4^],, 303,
Ariftotle, his Treatile on Poe
try, lxxviii
 Hift. Animal. 136
Arnobius 338
Arrian 126, 274, 28a
Athenaeus 31,7'
Aurelius Vidor 315
Azarias, Rab, lii, &c.

Bagot 109
Balkis^ Queen of Sheba 26
Barry 190
Baumgarten, 172
Benjamin ot Tudela 127
Berofus 127, 251
Beryte, I'Eveque de, 224
Blanchini 325
Bochart 15, 34, 58, I36,
i%Sf 208, 227, 261, 288,
383
Breithaupt 305
Brentius 30 i
Brerewood 284
Bruns xciv
Bryant 157
Buxtorff 270, 329
BuxtorfF, Junior, liii
Cilius Antipater 35
CaUimachus 85, 171
Calmet 135
Cambyfes 152
Camden 56
Cappellus 189, 268, 311
Cafaubon 325
Caftell 279, 327
Caftellio xtiv, lxxx
Cellarius 137
Celfuis 21
CclfuB 246 Chandler,

INDEX OP PERSONS.

Chandler, Bp. 96, 323, 376
Chappelow 18, 38, 246,
Chardin 10, 40, 60, 61, 74,
103, 121, 167, 171, 173,
]8i, 191, 214, 224, 260,
277, 295' 3°8, 3»6, 35°,
3,5^,- 373
Chryfoftom 64
Cicero iv, 29O, 3O3
Claudian 241-
Clemens, Alexand. 44, 171,
338
 Rom. 368
Cocceius 161, 218, 347,
372
Columella 57
Cotovicus 350
Crcefus 284, 290
Cuper 323
Curtius 236, 307
Cyril 68, 380
Cyrus 116, 126, 262, 263,
282, 283, 284, 285, 286,
320
D&rius Hyftafpis 126
D'Arvieux 88, 198
De Guignes 377
De Lifle 58
Demofthenes iv, 280
Defchamps 96
D'Herbelot 105, 228, 307
Dicearchus 179
Diodorus 147, 153, 171,
253-, 289
Doederlein 2 1 2, 304
Donatus" 181
Drufius 328
DureH xcii, 20, 33, 51, 66»
32, 323* 337
yoi, ri.

Egmont and Heyman 57,
147, 153
EphijEm Syr. 22, 16 1, 223
Efarhaddon 80
Eudoxus 35
Evelyn 376 ,
Eugene Roger 46, 57
Euripides 9, 221, 228
Eufebius lii, 283
Euftathiiis 172
Feftus 326
Furer 1 98
Gibfon 57
Glailius 10
Grabe iv, lxxxix
Gratius 140
Gi-egoryNaz. 75
Grotius 154, 228, 252, 377
Hadrian 77
Hammond 216
Hanno 35
Hare xii, li
Harmer 10, 12, 38;^ 4O, 60,
61, 76, 83, 84, 105, 173,
198, 205, 224, 241, 242,
260, 277, 295, 307, 309,
357, 384
Haffelquift 12,59,63
Herman voii der Hardt iiv
Herodotus 35,59, I16, 125,
126, 132, 135, 147, 157,
160, 162, 179,274,282,
283, 309 ¦
Hefiod 221, 323
Hefychius 29O
Hezekiah 3, 138, 168, 169,
221, 229, 237, 247,248
Homer 17, 63, 85, 128, 135,
E & 149,

INDEX OF P'ERSON-S-.

14^, 172,-207, cog, 217,
220, 294, 315, 317, 329
Horace 114,181,207,280,
351
Houbigant 1, 14, 30, 39, 64,
66, ^7, ,102, 163, 1 13,
II 8, '142, 167, 183, igr,
200, 203, 213, 214, 215,
228, 235, 238, 244!, 246,
247, 265, 270, 272, 276,
287. 3,34. 33."?' 346, 352,
353' 37O' 374. 3*^0, 381,
Huet 34, 68, 172, 274
Hunt 45, 46
Hyde 236, 285
Jarchi xlviii, 41, 42, 71, 85,
136, 179, 202, 241, 245,
270, 296, 300, 302, 339
Jephthah, his Vow 271
Jerom iii, xci. 60, 73, 103,
III, 127, 136, 157, 176,
192, 201, 204, 205, 217,
241, 24::, 262, 265, '327,
.343,368,372,375,377
'Ikenius -I 55
John theBaptift 252^ — 257
¦John Hyrcanus 360
Jonathan Ben Uziel xc
Jones 1 15
Jofephus 36, 1 11, 128
Jotham 2
'Ifaiah i
¦jubb 16, 31,35.41, 5I' 80,
81, 82, 313, 324, 330,
344, 347'. 356, 367
Judas Maccabeus 360, 361 '
JuHusvP.ollu;*: 44
'Ju^in 177^
Juvenal 43, 49' 93

K'alinflci 132.
Kempfer i8, 24,61, 74,- 171,
¦ ' 204 ¦ ^ , -
Kennicott Ixxxi, xcii, xciii,
102, 118, 235, 236, 325,
' -328,- 353, 384
Kimehi 9, 1 1, 20, 28, 56, 66,
70, 80, 93, 106, 107, no,
1^3' 143' '15°, ^53' 16 r,
163, 215, 243, 263, 270^
300, 323, 333v 348, 355,
381
Labid 98 ,.,:;'
Laftantius 315
Lardner 325 '
La Roque < 07
Le Cltrc 20, 136, 146, 216,
221, 266, 272,.304, 373,
' 375r38o, 382,
Lilienthal 339, 348, 374
Livy 161 ^ •
Locke ) 3 .
Longinus .9, 280
Lowman 350
Lowth 16, 115, 133, 143,
^55' 246
Lucan 53, 56, lj6, 146, 20*1
Lucretius 204, 209, 351
Ludolph'as 255
Macrobius 381, 382
Maillet 383
Maimonides 132,326
Martial 29
Maundyfill 23, 24, 25, 37,
57, 103, 120, 128, 198,
. 305, 339
•Miegallhenes 180
Meir, Rabbi,,. 163, 268
Mela, 282
Merrick 337 Mi-

INDEX OF PERSON^.

Michaelis 27, 31, 53, 57, 58,-
63, 97, 137, 15^? «93'
296, 2g7, 3,04
Miller 16, 224
Milliu.^, D.w. 375, 382
Milton 128 ,
Moerlius 108, 337
Mohammed 27, 37, 98, 174
Moiitngu, L. Mary, 242
Moflieim 253
Montfaucon xci
Mulier 97, 156
Mqnfter 323
Nau 58.
Nebuchadnezzar 134, 152,
160, 176,-180, 181, 182,
i§3, 231, 281
N.epos 307
Newton, Sir I., So, 187
rr-'  Bp. 152, 182
Niebuhr 27, 8g, 205, 309
Ninus 179
Nonnus 6i
pnkelos lvi ,
Origen xii, 299, 327, 328
pftjeck 339
'Ovid 9, 29, 523, 283
Owen 157, 3^8 ,
P^jichpmius lxxxix
Palladius 57
¦ Paul Lqcas ^8, 4^
Paufanias 69
Pekah 2
Perizonius 179
B4rfius 58
Phile 261
Pbilo, lxvi, 152
Pietro della Valle 42, 48,
127, ijl, 269
Ejpdgr 292, 303

Plato 314 , --
Phny 16, 24, "35, 43, 65,
146, 246, 284, 381, 384
Pococke 147, 153, 242
Prideaux 136, 157, 325, 360
Procopius lxix, 96, 207, 380
Prodicus 49
pfammitichus 152, 157
Pfellus 20S
Ptolemy Soter 152
 . — Philometor 155
Publius Syr. 49 j
Randolph 27 1
Rawolf 197
RiJland 57, 58, 142
Retfin 2, 78, 92
Ruffell 43, 383
Sal. ben Melec 7, 12, 54,
67, 75, 76, 107, .108,-
iio, 166, 244, 266, 270,
300, 323, 333- 367, 380
Sale 27, 174,236
Salmafius 16, 44
Salvian 123
SanfMus 43, 50
Sandys 42, 58, 182
Sardanapalus I iS
Scaliger iii
Schindler II, 99, 328
Schmidius 3 ¦'4
Schroeder 44, 91, 193, 220
Schultens 11, 38, 97, I40,
J 48, 150, 314, 367
Secker 1, xci, 20, 41, 55,,
,66, 82, 87, 94, 96, 102,'
J05, 106, uor 115, 141,
i54> I55> 156, 183, 186,
20^, 21 f, 216, 222, 224,
227, 232,239,266, 268,
271, 272, 273,^78, 2C,6,
? * ^ ' ,•' 297,

INDEX OP PfeRSONSj

. 297,304,311,313, 315,
323, 332, 334, 34^, 343,
345> 369, 370. 380
Semiramis 119, 253, 274
Sefiacherib 3, 106, 109, iii,
' 144, 149; 157, 206, 225,
226, 237, 272
Seneca 148, 185
Servius 177, 329 '^
Shalmanefer 3, 86, 106, 134,
142,112,183,260^273'
Shaw 43, 163, 174, 199,
210, 236, 261, 294 '
Shebna 169, 17O'
Sherlock 31
Simb'nis 104, 112, 148, 153,
279 ' ' \-
Solinus 56
Solo'raoh 25, 26,-30, 40, 103,
168, 175 '
Spencer 278
Strabo 24,3.6,56,126, 132,
¦147, 274, 289- -
Suetonius 351
Surenhtilius 325
Symmachus lxix, xci, 22, 66,
161, 271,277, 298i 324
Tacitus 352
I'avermer lo, 12, 13, 36,
¦ 127,359; ¦ ' ^
Taylor, Concord. 11, 174
Terence 181, 294 ' '
Thanhanii57 ,; ,
Themiftius 323
Theocritus n4~
Theodoret Ixi'x, 64, 68, 132

Thegdotidti lxix, xci, 7, 8,
22,66,356'
Theophraftus 324, 338
Thevenot 17, 57, 58, 88,
171, 172, 190, 213, 383 ¦¦
Tiglath Pilefer 2, 80, 92,' 9$,
-103V 141 ¦: . • ,.
Tirhakah 157, 272
tfallian'58.'/ ¦¦
Valefius 126
Vafco de Gama 35 ,
Vcgetiiis 278
Virgil lxxxii, 25, 29, 56, e^,
69, 93, 100, 114, 124,'
133, 177, 207, 209, 221/
289, 330. 3?4, 373 '
Vitringaii, xlix,2, 115, 1 18,
122, 134, 1^6,. ^69, 178^
182,218,252, 263, 273;
^11,322,347,351^, 354,
366,. 370, 371,380
Ulloa 16, J
Voffius 22
Uftier 80
Uzziah 1, 2, 133
Wet^ein lxxx, 229
Woide xc, 191 '
Wolfius iii, lii, 117
Xenophon 42, 49, 69, 70,
116, 122, 124, 125, 132;
282,283,284,285, !i94^-
309 . - . ^ .
Xerxes 126

INDEX

INDEX OF THINGS,

.^crfeftic-^fee ^^Ipjialietical
JA.braham 262, 263 '
U  '. — his bofom 384
Additions, Hebrew Text' lvi,
'¦ 87, 122,' 2 J5, 244, 297,
298,-331, 346, 353 '
iEneid 35 - ¦ - '
Africa 35
Agriculture 203
Alcahol 42
Alexandria, Jewilh Church
¦'" there lx3?xvii
—  — '.1 rtiany Jews there
152, 184
Allegory, myftical 252
Alphabetical, 12 Heb, Po-
¦' ' ^'ems vi ¦ '
_) — ;— ;  their
caufe and ufe-vi -^
Alternate members xxx
-:  .. • ¦ finging-^fee Re-
" fponfive ¦'.
Anomalifes, probably corrup
tions 22, 56, 312, 362
Anthropopathia xg, 217
Antient • Verfions lxxxiv, 6,
296 '
¦  confirmed
by Hebrew mss lxxxiv,
lxxxvi ;~
WI «• fome exam-

.j))es, of It 22, 33, 39, 129,
150, 189, 207, 210, 212,
223, 263, 264, 271, 279,
296, 298, 304, 309,313,
323, 324, 332, 336, 340,
343, 350, 3S6, 3^3' 377.
-383Apocalyps of Elias 368
Arabic Verfions Ixxxviii, 130
Arabs, different forts of them
269
Armour, burning of, emblem
of peace 100
Afcenfion of Efaiah 368
Affyrians and Babylonians,
the fame 132
Azotus 158
Babylon 159, 179
— — — ¦ its naval power 274
-^— — — greatnefs and ruin'
125, 126
— — — the total annihilation

of its walls accounted for
128
 how taken 159, 281,
283
 Prophecy on it, beau
tiful 119
— — Deliverance from it»^
a flia«

JNDEX OF THINGS.

a fliadow of Deliverance'
by Chrift 256, 257'
Balaam's Prophecies xxxiv
Beard, highly honoured in
the Eaft 88
Botfra 231,' 369
Buildings, '•Eaftern 103;- 127,
213
Cape of Good Hope paffed 35
Cafliterides 34
Caverns large, for refygi? 36
Cfealdee Paraphrafe l,lvj, ^c,
16, 102, 107, 140,21.0,
233, 263, 264, 271, 296,
¦ 347, 348
Chambers, eaftfrrj 242
Chapters, not in order of time
72 ,^
—-'r: — —— ppl rightly divided
52, IDI, 118, 134, 195
Chafdim, Chaldeans 178
Chinefe Chronology 377
Chittim 176
Chorus iig, 225, 295, 358
Collation of mss ncfceftiary,
lxxx
¦¦ Heb. mss how
far ufeful lxxxi, lxxxiii, xc,
xciii ' '
requires

long examination xciii
 MSS of LXX ve

ry defirable xc
ConjeiSures, concurrent 212
 in correfting 1
—. — ^—  in tranflating' ¦
lxxxv
¦ -¦ >¦  ¦ the latter as ha
zardous as the former xc,
370 ¦ .i.
Gon^lr.uia ftate for Abfolute,

probably a miftake 55, 245
Co'ipparjfop, particles of, o-
mitted 356
Conftruftion offentences, fud
denly chanp-ed 288, 295
¦' 1.", ¦ ¦ — alternate xx^
Coptic Verfion Ixxxviii, 71,,
191, 299, 327
Copyifts Jewifh, fallible lxxv,
lxxxv
¦ ¦' — — r~ — their cuftoms
in writing lxxvi, 55
Corner, the place of honour.
in the Eaft 242
Corruptions, .perhaps wilful,
l^xxyj.ii, 369
Counes, an |i|ftprn vfehiple
383'
Cymbal 145
Cup of God's \yfath 18, 314
Damafcus 23, 142
Delphi, Oracle there 28,9,
290
J)ream, fifpilitude from 20?
Eagle, 26 1
~.  Cyrus's enfign 293
Edomites 230
 fettled in Judea 360
Egypt 145—148, 152, 156
Eiath port 2, 3
Elegiac verfes, in Hebrew xl
Ellipfis 13, no, 170, 263,
271,337
Englifli V^rfiot), vulgar xlvi,.
Ixvii, xcv
 — — revifion of
it expedient xcii, xcvi
— Verfions old, fome

times better 237
Eflicpl 58

Eu,

INZTEX OF THINSS.

Euphrates. 274, 281
-Eziongeber-35 Expedition of Eaftern, mo
narchs,' the manner of it
253
Fathers, Chriftian, generally
bad icommentators on. the
Prophecies lxix
.Figs 199
FlockS', great care in driving
them p^eceffaty 260 '
Footftool 315, 352
Fuel 197
Gardens in the Eaft 22, 23
•Garriients, tranfparenf 49 ,
, Gate, the plac6 of judicature
210
Gehenna 216, 384
Gemara of Babylon 325
Gentiles, called by Chrift 312,
332,349.371, 378  '
Girdle 68, 113 . -,.
Gloffes, from Margin , into
Text 87, 214
Gog and Magog 361
Golden Age, 1 13
Gourd-kindj fruits of the,
niuch in requeft in the Eaft
12 ,
Greek New Teft. its non-in
tegrity lxxiv, lxxv
 Verfion of the Old
Teftament, its importance
lxxxvii, 15, 76,87,115,
143, 210, 214,222, 223,
23s, 241, 242, 246^ 255,
277, 365
. interpolated
71

 MSS of LXX
very ufeful 50, 139, 141,
158, 184, 212, 220, 276*
277,348,354,375
 1  ;  epila

tion of them now neceffary
Ixxxviii
 — ,  us Pachora.
and MS I D ii. Br. Muf.
Ixxxviii, lxxxix, 5O, 7 1,
no, 124, 139, 141, 184,
212, 220, 269, 276, 288,
304, 348, 3S4
Groves, facred 20
Hades, image of 65, 120
Halle Bible xci, xcii
Half-paufe, in long • verfes
xxxix, xliii
Hands, marks on 278, 305
Harbinger, of Eaftern Mo
narchs 253 ,
Harian Metre confuted xiii
Hebraifras 199,, 257
Heb. Alphabet, only'Confo-
nants xi
.1  Bible, left compleat by
Ezra lxxiii, lxxxii
¦¦ ' ¦  miftakes in it ear
ly '', 255' 369
— —  now incorrect
, Ixxvii

 its int^grity
ftrangely believed lxxiv
— its true readings

. altcfed per
haps wilfully lxxxvii, I56

how recoverable lxxxvi
 Letters fimilar,, the
fources of error lxxv, lxxvi
— MSS, now extant, how
old lxxxii, xciv
the prefdnt Col.

lation ofthem lxxxi, lxxxii,
xc Heb.

INDEX OP THI^eS.

Hebi Poetry, its chafafteriftic
lxv, lxvi
¦ — ;^ — Verfes, not in R,bym6
xi, xiii
—^longerand fliorter xxxrV
— xlii ¦
— — Words 'fin'glis, reij^ire
many Englifli iviii"
Hornage, Eafterh modes of
3?^, 315 ¦
Horites 37
Hofts, for Godof Hofts 13
Houfes in the Eaft 166
Hunting, antient 185
Jackal 12
Idolatry expofed 279, 280
Idolatrous pradlices among the
Jews 372, 375
Idumea 361
Jerufalem, the Valley of Vi
fion 166
Jefhumn 277
Jewels of the feet, noftrils,
',&c. 45— 48-
Jews, great Deftrudlions of
thefti '77
' prefent Difperfion, with
a Confefllon for them 363
Iliad lxxviii
Images poetical, frPm nature,
&c. -33, 286
¦ — emblematical of hea
ven and hell 385
Infihiti^^es afefolute, for tenfes
paft 165
 figiiify imperative
ly 222
Intercalary Stanza xl
Interpolation — See Additions
Job, book, already allowed
poetical ii, xxxiv

Ifaiah, bsok,* IxxxV".;-
'.^..^j—. — _._ hiftory of iti
Time 1
1—^  Notes here^
their defign xcvii ^ .:^\
Ifrael fometimes means Thie
Mefliah. 304 .-
-' people, cstvied '¦ avfay,
in 6th Hezekiah 3
-.._.  .-  -.^— fi-
>;' nally, 22d Manaffeh 80
Judea called the Mountain 57
 wildernefs of 254
Jkeys, antient 171
• — — mark of office 1 71
Kingdom of Chrift undef the
image of a feaft 189, 384
K.oran 27, 97, 174, 2-35
Lake; belbw"' the wine-prefs
61
Latter Days' 28 •'¦
Lebanon, HoiSfeof tbe Foreft
or. of 175 ' '-¦
 and Carmel 210' .
Leviathan, the Crocodile, and
the Serpent 1 96 •
Libation 21 1
Literkl fenfe, the neceffary
foundation of all interpreta-:
tions lxv, lxviii, xcviii '
 may be the myf
tical, or fpiritual 322
— .  is fo— ^fee Meffi

ah
London Polyglott lxxxvii
Magian religion 2-84,
Marks on the hands 278, 305
Maflial, its nature xlviii, 76,
129, 203, 210 Mafo-

INDEX OP THINGS.

Maforets, their paufes and
punctuation xii, Xxxi, lxxi
—J  wretched Critics
271
Medicean ms. 'of Virgil lxxxii
Medicine and Surgery 10
Meffiah Himfelf 53', 73, 79,
87, 90, 113, 223, 248,
268, 287, 301, 302, 304,
310, 321, 326, 330, 331,
345, 361
 His Kingdom 27, 73,
79,90,99, I'f 3, 117, 188,
189, 223, 248, 252, 257,
288, 312, 332, 345, 349,
361,371,378
Metre of Things. See Rhyth
mus
Mills, grinding at, the work
of females 294
Mirrors, of metal 91
Miftina 325
Moukden, prefent Emperor
of China's poem 376
Mizmor, its nature lxvi, Ixvii
Naharaga 281
Naharmalca 274, 281
Nails, antient 173
Necromancy 207
Negative, underftood as if re-
peatfd 177, 276
Nile 148, 153, 176, 177
 Shichor 177
Nofe-Jewels 47
Ode on K. Babylon, moft ex
cellent 119 — 122
Old Teft.iment, defeftive me
thod of ftudying it lxx
Omiffions, Heb. Text xl,
Ixxitvi, 6, 31, 33, 39,50,
,y»L. 11.

63, 64,70, 71, 95, 116,
123, 129, 136, 154, 169,
170, 210, ^12, 214, 222,
234, 237, 240, 246, 2SSi
264, 265, 269, 277, 282,
289, 296, 298, ,303, 306,
310, 325, 332, 335, 339»
34i> 342, 343' 346, 3S3»
355, 379, 380, 381. 3^^
Onias's Temple 155
Ophel 223
Ophir 35
Pallacopas 28 1
Palm-wine 63, 183
Parabolic ftyle 33, 122, 186,
196,263,268, 300, 307,
^ 332, 334, 349
Parallelifm of Verfes or Lines
xiv, 1, li
— ^  attention to, ufeful
in interpreting poetical
parts of Scripture xlvii
Parallel Lines, Synonymous
XV
 ' Antithetis
xiv, xxiii
 • — ¦ — ¦  Synthetic xiv,
xxvi, xxvii Places, ufeful in cor

refting 135, 136, I39-
141, 238, 243, 247, 255
Earonomafia 64, 186, 193,
222, 245, 354
Participle, for future tenfe
279
Paflbver, the raannei- of that
deliverance 218
Perfumes, Eaftern 49
Perfonification vi
Port The, whence the name
' 184 , ,
f F Ere-

INDEX OP THINGS.

Prefents to the great in the
Eaft, peceffary 339
prophecies of Ifaiah, not
Profe ii
»._   not
now in order of tirae 1 1, 72
Profopopqeia .120 -
Proverbs "of Solomon xxv,
xxxiv '  allowed
, Poetical ii
Pfalms, already allowed poe
tical ii, xxxiv
— — — ill-divided xl'
p.abbinical Evafion 380
Refponfive Song lxvi, 75, 196,
258, 259
RefurreiSl'ion, a common doc
trine 194
."Rhythmus of Things liv — lxv
Rice, how planted 224
•Romans, deftruftion of Jeru
falem by 183
Saba, refervoir of 26
Sahidic Verfion 327
Samaria- 1 98
Scoffers 200
Seder Olam 80
Separation of Pfalms xl
m-;  —words 212, 337
Sepulchres 1 70, 328, 329
Si-cknefs and Sin, confidered
as equlv.ilent 229
Sidon, mother-oity of Tyre
^77
Siloah 92, 160
Singulars fometimes for^Plu-
j.-al 279 .
Sitting in- the Eaft, comir.on
, - ,,mauricr of vi6
 in ftate 316

Siftrum 145
Sorek, in Judah, vines of 58
Spanifh Verfion 15,43
Speech of ghofts fuppofed fee
ble 207
Spitting, an expreflion of de
teftation 309
Standard, copy, none infalli
ble lxxxvi
Strong drink 64, 183
Supreme Beings, Two, Per
fian 284
Syriac Verfion xci, 115, 162,
312,365,
Tabor, mount 57
Talmud, Babylonifli 39
Tarfhifli, where 34, 176
¦  Ships 34, 176
Teraphim, confulted 33
Threfliing 162, 192, 2O4
Tophet 216
Tranfcribers. See Copyifts
Tranflations modern, whether
in Latin, or for the ufe of
the Proteftant^ Churches,
all from the pointed Heb.
Text Ixxli
Tranflator's duty xliv, xiv,
xlvi, lxviii
Tranfpofitions, Heb. Text
79, 95, 244
Treafures of Cyrus 284 ¦
Trees, long-lived 376
Troglodytes 37, 38
Tyre 176 — .182
Van, antient 215
Various Readings Heb. publi
cation of commended lx:$;xi .
Veil, to fhade the Court 260
Ventriloqui 208 ' Verfe,

INDEX OP THINGS.

Verfe, its charaftgriftics ix —
xiii, xxxi, lxvi
Verfes, ill-divided 14, 122,
234, 377
— — — long, or fhort xxxv
Verfions of Verfions, ufeful
xc, 70, 139
¦ Vineyard-towte-t 60
Vines, large trunks of 60
— — poifonous fruit of 62,
63
Vowel points, hot original,
nor'by !Ezira Ixxi
Vulgate xlv, xci, ^ 63, 64,
76, 95, 122, 169, 214,
236, 237, 264, 265, 271
- — authentic by Council
of Trent lxxiii
Wardrobes, EaftCrn 40
Watchmen in the Temple 357
Water, in Gardens 22
Wine mixed 16
Wine-prefs. 6 1
Wines 190
Women, celebrate great E-
vents 258
Woj-ds, nsany now loft in the
Text of Ifaiah lxxxvi
— — — wrongly divided 23t
197,337
World, fometimes for land or
country 123, 184

'jiii for nin* 74, 102, 104,
106, ie8, 115, 214, 245
n*N and ya 365
D»K andQnif 179. 184, 270
,2 and ^miftaken 66, 82, no,
135,347' 381
SanvXm 338 •
r\)D2 330, 331
T and "1. miftaken 93, 95, 102,
135, 168', 189, zo8, 216, 272
tV7J 91
'\ omitted, at the half-paufe
xxxix
T for N*?! 177
CDHT and DHT changed .185,
2(o8
^^{I3f^, punifhment for fin
253
? netfeffary, :ft perfon preter
J93, 270
K? and '^7 changed 213, 221
1J3"7 arid ')3'7 changed in, 193,
278
D, plural termifiatiOn, fre
quently omitted 56, 311
¦naro ixv
IpiPD. asai86
yti^D xlviii, 130, 203J' 210
DflSTD 267
CI3K J, folemn delivery of Pro
phecy 165
HDD 218
np"lX267, 312
2r\tifi the glowing fand in the
Eaft 23 s

Re-

Remarkable Variations in the Text of Ifaiah, where
there is little fimilitude between the words.

Text..,,

Variations.

Chap.

lyTi ' '

inn^^-)

IX. 8. Chald.

»3Db

b»lpa

XXIV. i8. MS. Chald. Vulg,

VK>m

aK;^i

XXXVII. 9. LXX. and & pa-
ral. place

m^i-^an

D113

XXXVII. 18. 10 MSS.

nmy

T3N'?»

xxxvil. 24. LXX. Syr.

")iyi

jyim

xnr. ig. MS. Sym.

nans

¦ DKnE)

XLVI I. ^.. LXX. Syr.

pns

vny

XLIX. 24. Syr. Vulg.

abmy 2'^''

Sniiw''

LII. g.- 2 MSS.

Tty33

inn^

LVLii. 10. 8 MSS. Syr.

wmn nir

n:N!y2n s^riD

LX. 4. MS.

iDy

nay

LXIII. 11. 2 MSS. '.Vet.E-
dit. Syr.

ob))i^

iy»'?

LXIII. 16. MS.

Dy

¦ in

LXIII, 18. LXX.

D^13

Dnn '

,LXIV, 2. 4 MSS.

vw

nnxD

LXV. 25. MS. LXX. Syr. Vulg*

FINIS.

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