| Clap.54- 6 *X Cry out and ſhout, thou F inhabitant of Zion :
for great is the Holy One of Iſrael in the midft of thee,
Fe4h CHAP. XII.
God's Armies, 1 6. The defiruftion of Brbylon by the Perſians and
1 h- S. . . y . whine Medes: Their great diftreſs and Anguiſh and their utter Deſolation,
G6 ——27
HE * burden « of Babylon b which Ifaiah the ſon of
*Chap.2T. Amos did ſee. : »&47.1- a This Title is commonly given to ſad Prophecies, which indeed
uy |. 50. & are grievous Burdens to thein upon whom they are laid. See 2
"Y (Chap.1 8:
hap:i
od:ig: 19+
| il. Kings 9: 25. Jer, 23433, 36. 5 Ot the City and Empire ot Babylon
by Cyrus, for their manitold and great Sins, and in order co the de- liverance of his People,
2 * Lift ye up a banner c upon the high mountains d, exalt the voice unto them e, ſhake the hand f,that they
may £89 into the gates of the nobles g.
c To gather Soldiers together for this Expedition. 4 Whence it may bz diſcerned at a conliderable diſtance. Withal he ſems to intimate, that their Enemies ſhould come from the Mountainous Country of M:4ia. e To the Medes, who are named below, ver: 17 f Becken to them with your Hand, that they may come to this Service. g Thatthey may go and fight againſt Babylon, and take it, and ſo enter into the Palaces of the King, and of his Princes, and ſpoil them at their pleaſure ; which the Medes and Perſians did. The manner of Expreſſion implies how eaſily and expeditiouſly they did their work, that, like Ceſar, they might ſay, they only came, and ſaw, and overcame. :
2T have commanded my || ſan&tified ones b, I have
Drgrepe alſo called my mighty ones ; for mine anger, eve them
+ 6, 4, thatrejoyce in my. highneſs &,
h The Medes and Perſians, fitly ſo called, becauſe they were ſolemn- ly deſigned and ſet apart by God for his own Service, and for this holy Work of executing his juſt Vengeance upon them, ; Thoſe whom I have made mighty for this Work. k Or, as others render = aa my glory, materially conſidered, to wir, in the doing of that
ork which tends much to the Advancement of my Glory, 1n deſtroying of the Babylonian Empire. For otherwiſe the Mcdes had no regard to” God nor to his Glory, bur only to their own carnal End
} Ned. the 4 The noiſe of a multitude in the mountains, T like as limſr of of a great people: a tumultuous noiſe of the kingdoms
of nations / gathered together: the LORD of hoſts mul-
tereth the hoſt of the batrel.
1 The Medes and Perſians, and other Nations which ſerved under them in this War : of which ſee Fer. 25. 14. and 27. 7. and 50. 41.
5 They come from a far Country, from the end of heaven ms, even the LORD, and the weapons of his in- dignation », . to deſtroy the whole land 0. :
m From the ends of the earth under Heaven,as Mat:24.30.which 15not to be underſtood ſtriftly and properly, but popularly and hy- perbolically, as ſuch Expreſſions are commonly uſed in Sacred and Profane Authors. And yet in ſome reſpes this might be truly aid of Perſia, which on th& Southſide was bounded by the'Main Ocean ; as for the ſame reaſon Sheba, a Part of Arabia, is called he utmoſt parts of the earth, Mat. 12, 42. n The Medes and Perſians, who were but a Rod in God's Hand, and the Inſtruments of his A_ as was ſaid ofthe 4ſrian, Iſa. 10+ 5. o To wit of Babylen,of which he is now ſpeaking.
: 6 Howl ye, for the day of the LORD 3s at hand ; | 31. *je ſhall come as a deſtru&ionp from the Almighty 4. Joel 5+ p Or rather, « defflru#ion, or devaitai:on ſhall come, as the LXX and 5 Pulzar Latin render it. For this was nor as @ deftruftion, but was a DeſtruQion indeed. And the Particle as is ſeldom uſed to expreſs not the likeneſs, but the reality of the thing, as John 1. 14. q Who fighteth for your Adverſaries, and againſt you, and therefore your DeſtruQion is unavoidable. : IO, fa, 7 Therefore ſhall all hands || be faint, andevery mans im, heart ſhall melt» 8 And they ſhall be afraid : pangs and ſorrows ſhall take hold of them, they ſhall be in pain asa woman Meb.»ex. CHRAC travelleth : they (hal + be amazed Þ one at another r; their faces ſhall be as F flames /.
IHeb.eve- r To ſee ſo pupulous and impregnable a city as Babylon was, ſo
nan at eaſily and wnexpe&edly taken; ſ Heb. faces of flame, either pale
ki nigh. with Fear, or inflamed with Rage and Torment, as men in miſery
; frequently are» Some rend&r it the faces of Lehabim, a People de-
ltes faces ſcending from Mizraim, Gen. 10, 13. 1 Chron,1. 11. 5: e: blackwith pain as men uſe to be: of which ſee Jocl 2. 6. Nah. 2, 10.
ſong, 9 Behold, the day of the LORD comerh,cruel both | Nat with wrath and fierce anger f, to lay the land deſolate ;| 32
| - and he ſhall deſtroy the ſinners thereof « out of it, $7: Joel +
1 6z1c , 7 Divers Werds are heaped rogecher, to ſignifie the extremity of Nat..." his, Anger. « The Inhabicantsof char Ciry, who were guilty of ſo
9.Mar1, Puch Idolatay and Crueltyy and all forts of Luxury,
4H Ohap, x}