3 To wit, of the certzin accompliſhment of the Promiſes here made to thee ; That Zim ſhould triumph over this inſulting Enemy, wv. 21 That God would not only preſerve the Ciry from his preſent fory,v.24 but alto, That God would bleſs his people with a durable Prolperity, and an happy Increaſe, v. 3o, 31- And thus, it 15 not only a ſign ofa ſhort Deliverance, which would be paſt before this fign was fulfilled, ( though there are Inſtances of ſuch fignsas to!- lowed the thing done ; as Exod. 3: 12: Iſa: 7: 14. ) but ofa future Mercy, which was to continue long after that ſign. And this ſign was the more neceſſary, becauſe otherwiſe Hezekiah and his people had cauſe to fear, That the Syrians, would be. greatly enraged for cheir ſhameful Repulſe, and the Deſtrution of their Army, and would quickly recruit their Army, and rerurn againſt them with far greater Force and Violence. But fomeatfirm, That Sennacherib when he heard of Tirhakah's March againit him, of which, v. 9. went with his Army to meer him, and overthrew him, and the Egyptian who was j-ined with him, as was noted before; and proſe- cuted his Viftory, by foliowing them into Egypr, and E:hiopia ; in the Conqueſt of which, he ſpent two years; in which ſpace, the people did eat {uch things as grew of themſelves : and inthe third year returned to Jeruſalem, intending to' Beſiege it. Ir 1s true, it is Jaid and ſo the Sign wenr before the thing, ( which may be objected againſt the truth of this Relation) v. 9, That when he heard of Tirhakah, he ſent M.ſſengers to Heztkiah, pretending as if he would forthwith come againſt him; butit is nor ſaid, thar he did fo : nor is it fer down what he did-with 7irhakah, becauſe the Deſign of the Sacred Writer, was only to write the Hiſtory of the Jewiſh Nation ; not of others, but only with reſpe& ro them. z This was an excellent tign, for it was miraculous ; eſpecially, conſidering the waſte and havock which the A/hrians had made in the Land 3 ani that the Jews had been forced to retire into their ſtrong hold, and conſequently to neglect
their Tilling, and Sowing, and Reaping ; and yet this Year they ſhould have ſufficient Proviſion from thoſe Fruits of the Earth which the Aſjrian lefr and the Second Year, which probably was the year of Releaſe, in which they might neither Sow, nor Reap, from ſuch Fruits as the Earth brought forth ofits own accord ; and fo in the third Year 2 You ſhall not Sow, and another Reap, as lately you did ; but you ſhall enjoy the Fruit of your own Labours.
And + the remnant that is eſcaped of the houſe of
© Judah, ſhall yer again rake root downward, and bear
b i. e. Shall increaſe and multiply greatly, A Metaphor from Plants. - Compare Job 29. 19:
31 For out of Jecuſaiem ſhall go forth a remnanr c, and + they that eſcape out of mount Sion 4: * the zeal
of the LORD of hots ſhall do this «..
c That handful of Jews whonow were gathered together, and ſhut up in Jer«ſalem, ſhall go out to their ſeveral Habitations, and by my ſingular Bleſſing increale exceedingly. d The ſame thingexpreitcd in other words, which is uſual :n the Hebrew Language. .*. Alchough when you refle&t upon yourſelves, and conſider either your preſent fewnets, and weakneſs, or your great unworthinets, this may ſeem too great a Bleſſing for you to expeQ, or believe ; yet God will do it from the Zeal which he hath, both for his own Name, to vindi- Cate it from the Blaſphemous Reproaches ot the A4ſyrians, and for the good of his undeicrving people.
32 Therefore thus faich the LORD concerning the king of Afyria, He ſhall not come into this city, nor ſhoot an arrow there, nor come betore it with ſhield, nor caſt a bank againlt it e.
e Which wascruc, though he ſent Ratjhakeh, and others, with a great Hott again Jers{#lew, Coap, 18. 17+ Kither becaule that £avit
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| Chap. XW went away with Rabſhateh to Liindh ;above v. $. Or rather, becauſe that Army did nor form a cloſe Siege againſt ir, but only marched towards it, and diſpoſed themſelves fo as to block it up at ſome diſtance ; poſibly waiting till the King cf Aris had taken Libnab and Lachiſh, ( which they preſumed he would ſpeedily do ) and ſhould come up with the reſt of his Forces, whea they intended
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to fall more vigorouſly ro their Work, | 33 By the way that he came, by the ſame ſhall he re- eurn f, and ſhall nor come into the city, ſaith the LORD.
f Whereas he expe&ed to devour the Kingdom of Judah at one Morlſcl, and then to proceed further, and to conquer Egypr, or other Neighbouring Countries 5 and, as it is ſaid of him, and concerning this very time, and deſign, 1/a. 10, 7. To cut off Nations net & few; - he ſhall meer with fo: ſad a diſappointment and rebuke here, that he ſhall make haſte to return with ſhame to his own Countrey, |
34 For * Iwill defend chis cicy to fave it, for mine * Chap own fake, and * for my ſervant David's ſake g. 20' 6:
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. .& For my Promiſe and Covenants-ſake made with David, concern- * 1 Kings || i ing the Stability and Eternity of his Kingdoms. See 1 Kings 11.1.2,13. 11. 12,13. ||
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35 9 And * it came to pals that night 5, that the | angel of the LORD went out, and ſmore #in the camp : of che Affyrians & an hundred fourfcore and five thou- * land: and when they roſe earlyin che morning, behold, they were all dead corpſes.
þ Fither, 1. In the Night following this Meſſage of the Propher to Hezekiah : Or, 2. In that famous Night when God deſtroyed the Aſſrians, It was done in this manner. For ſuch expreſſions ate oft ulcd of an indefinite and uncertain time, as that day is frequently taken, as 1/a. 4-1. and 26. 1, and 27.1, &*c. i With Peſtilence, or bil ſome other ſudden and mortal ſtoke. & Either before &ibnah ; or, in | ſome other-place near Jeruſalem, where they were encamped,
36 S0 dennacherib king of Afſycia departed 4, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
TI Whom God ſpared, nor in Mercy, but in Wrath ; reſerving him to a more dreadful and ſhameful Death, by the hands of his own Children.