Aſyrian Army, which was made up of the People of ſeveral Nati- = e Not Sick an ordinary Sieve, which caſteth away the Chaff only, but keepeth the Corn ; bur with a Sieve, which ſhould ſhake them ſo long and ſo res < as to caſt away all together, and to make a full end ofthem. # God will reſtrain and over-rule them by his ſecret and powerful Providence. q Wherezs other Bridles cuide the bridled Creatures into the right way, this ſhall turn them out of the way, by giving them up to their own Miſtakes and fooliſh Coanſels, and wicked Courſes, which ſhall bring them
to ſore and certain Ruine, : : | 29 Ye hall have a ſong r, as in the night, whes a
holy ſolemnity is kept s, and gladnelſs of hearc, as when
one goeth with a pipe 7 to come into the mountain 0
the LORD, to the + mighty one. of Iſrae],
» You ſhall have occaſion of great Joy, and Songs of Praiſe for your ſtupendious Deliverance from that formidable Enemy. $ He mentions the Night, either becauſe the Jewiſh Feaſts begun at the Evening, and were Celebrated with great Joy in part of the Night- ſeaſon, as well as on the following day ; or becauſe He hath a par: ticular Reſpe& to the ſolemnity of the Paſſover, in which they ſpent ſome conſiderable part of the Night in Feaſting, and rejoicing, and ſinging of Pſalms and Songs before the Lord t Like the joy of one that is going up to the ſolemn Feaſts with Muſick,, and the Voice of Joy and Praiſe, as they uſed to do, Pſal. 42. 4. to cheer up themſelves in the way, which to many of them was long, and would otherways have been tedious. ; þ
o And the LORD {hall cauſe + his glorious voice « to be heard, and ſhall ſhew the lighting down of his arm x, with the indignation of his anger y, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with ſcattering, and tem- peſt, and hailſtones.
« His Thunder, which is called God's Yoice, and ſaid to be ful of Majeſty, Pal: 29: 4. But then Thunder 1s metaphorically taken for ſome terrible judgement, as it is in many places of Scripture. x Upon the 4ſjrian, whom he willſmite with a deadly blow in the face of the World. The Phraſe is taken froift the geſture of a Man, who is about to ſmite another ; who firſt lifts up his hand, and then lets it fall with great force upon him, whom he deſigns to ſtrike. y With great wrath ; which 1s ſignified by the heaping of ſo many words of the ſame ſignification together.
21 For through the voice of che LORD = (ball the
Aſſjrian be beaten down, which {mote with a rod a.
z That voice mentioned in the laſt verſe. # Which was the Rod wherewith God ſmote his and other people, 1a. is 5, 6. He who uſed to ſmite others, ſhall now be ſmitten himſelf. Or, as the words may be, and by others are rendred, He ( the Lord laſt mentionea ) ſhall ſmite him with a rod, or with his rod:
32 And t in every place where the grounded ſtaff þ
ff ſhall paſs, which the LORD ſhall # lay c upon him 4,
it ſhall be with cabrets and harps e: and in battles of (baking f will he g fight || withit þ. bp
b Heb: the foundzd rod, the Judgement of God, which 1s frequent- ly called a Rod in Scripture, and may be here called 4 founded Rod, or the Rod of Foundarien ; either becauſe it was firmly eſtabliſhed, and certainly to come by God's immutable Purpoſe and Appoint-
ment : or becauſe the Rod ſhould nor ſlightly rouch him, and paſs
over him, but ſtrike deep, and be fixed, and as it were grounded or founded in his Eleſh, and made to reſt upon him} as it follows in the next Clauie. c Heb ha cauſe ro ref ; which is contrary to
the manner of God's dealing with his people, upon whom he will mot ſuffer the Rod of the wicked to ret, Plal: 125: 3 4 Upon the e The ſenſe is. Ei-
Aſſrian, mentioned in the foregoing Verſe -_ 1. their deſtruftion ſhall be ceiebrated by God's People, with Joy and Muſick, and Songs of Praiſe, Or, 2. Tho Vidiory ſhall be got ; not by Warlike Inſtruments and Atchivements, bur as it were by Tabrets and Harps. Wherein he may poſſit-ly allude to the Victory which Jehoſhaphat got againſt Moab and Ammon, not t fighting, but only by ſinging, and praiſing God with the Voice, and with Muſical Inſtruments, 2 Chron. 20 19, 21, 27, 28. God being pleaſed to fight for them, by his own immediat Power: which alſo was the caſe here, which made the People of God fing a Triumph before the t ight; 1/a. 37: 22. f Or, with battles or figh. tings of ſhaking, to wit, of ſhaking of the hand, of which kind. of Shaking rhis Hebrew word is conſtantly uſed, ſuch as 2Tc perfor- med by the meer ſhaking of the hand ; namely, by God's ſhaking his Hand againſt :hem, as he threatens to do againſt others, 1/a: 1 1
x5. and 19. 16. in which laſt place this very word 1s uſed ; and in the former, the Verb from whenceit comes. For that this Sha. king isan A& of God, ſeems more tran probable and from the following Words, Wil he, 1. e, God, as all underſtand it, fight againſt it. And to the Senſe of the place may bethis, God wil! tight aga-nit them, and deftroy them by his own hands g To wit, the Lord, who declareth himſelfto be the Enemy of the Aſjrian, both in the foregoing and following Verſes. + With the Army of the Aſjrin avs: Or, according to the other Hebrew zeading, w'#h them, with
the Afrians, | 22 For Tophet 5 is ordained & Þ of old /: yea, for
the king m itis prepared, he z hath made it deep and large » : the pile thereof 5s fire and much wood o ; * the breath of the LORD p, like a ſtream of brimſtone
9, doth kindle it r.
; This was a place near - Feruſalem, in which the Idolatrons 1/ yaelites uſed cruelly to offer up their Children to Moloch, 2 Chron: 28: 3. and 33: 6, See alſo Jerem: 7: 31- and 19: 6. And it ma) be put Synecdochically, for any place of torment or Miſery : Arc particularly it is put for Hellas well in the Writings of the Av- cient Jewith Dottors, as 1n Holy Scripture, as Mar. 8.8, 9 ang 23: 15. Mart 9. 43. 44+ And ſo this place may be underſtood : Either, 7. literally of Topher in the Valley of Hinnem, in which the Arian Hoſt was, cither flain by the Angel, as Joſephus reports, or hn.ried or burnt, For although the 4ſjrians did not make any great attempt upon Jeruſalem, 1Ja. 37: 36. yet Rabſhaketh came very near it witha great &4rmy, Iſa: 36. 2. Or 2. figuratively of