The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 339

the natione of the earth-that it may be Shiehak (l Kings xiv. 26), e.nd by Joash known far and wide that Jehovah ie a God (ob. xiv. 13); but Zion, if it be ta.ken who oan help, the real Ruler of the world, as the namo of the ea.stern city (Dishop 11gainet whom earthly kings and earthly Patrick, ad loo.), ine.y have been still a might avail nothing. Even thou only. It "virgin fortress." Kath despised thee, and would not BBtisfv Hezekiah that Jehovah laughed thee to 11oorn; or, deapiaea thee and should be adn1owledged BB a mighty god, laughs thee to soorn. The Hebrew preterite one of manv. He asks for such a demon- has often e. present sense. Whatever was stration as shall convince men that he is the case a little while ago (see Isa. xxii. unique, that he stands alone>, that he is the 1-H), the dty now laughs at thy threats. only mighty God in all the earth. The daughtor of J'erualem hath ■he.ken her Ve>r. :!0.-Then Isaiah the son of Amo1 head at thee; or, 1oaga her head at thee-in sent to He1ekiah, saying. As Hezekiah scorn and ridicule (comp. Ps. x.xi.i. 7). prays, Isaiah is by Divine revefation made Ver. 22.-Whom hast thou reproached and cognizant of his prayer, nnd commissioned blasphemed ! i.e. " Against whom hast thon to answer it favourably. That he sends his been mRd enough to measure thyself? answer, instend of taking it, is indicative of Whom hast thou dared to insult and defy?" the high status of the prophets at this period, Not an earthly king-not a mere angelio which made it not unseemly that, in spiritual being-but the Omnipotent, the Lord of matters, they should claim at least equality earth and heaven. What utter folly is this I with the monarch. Thus saith the Lord God What mere absurdity 1 And agaimt whom cf Israel, That which thou hast prayed to hast thou exalted thy voice 1 i.e. " spoken me against SeDll&Cherib Xi.ng of Assyria I proudly "-in the tono in which a superior have hee.rd. First of all, Hezekiah is BSBured speaks of an inferior-and lifted up thine that his prayer has been "heard." God has eyes on high '"-i.e. "looked down upon"- " bowed down his ear" to it (ver. 16)-ha.s treated with contempt, as not worth con- taken it into his consideration, and has sent sideration-even against the Holy One of a reply. Then the reply follows, in fourteen IsraeL Isaiah's favourite phrase-used by verses arranged in four strophes or stanzas. him twenty-seven times, and only five times The first (vcrs. ~l-24) and second (vers. in the rest of Scripture-marks this entire 25-28) are ad<lressed to Sennacherib, and prophecy as his genuine utterance, not the breathe a tone of scorn and contempt. The composition of the writer of Kings, but e. thir,l (vers. 29-31), is addressed to Heze- burst of sudden inspiration from the Cory- kiah, and is encouraging and consolatory. phlllw of the prophetic band. The oracle The fourth (vers. 82--3i) is an assurance hears all the marks of Isaiah's elevate.I, to all whom it may concern, that JernBfilem fervid, and highly poetic style. is safe, that Sennacherib will not take it, Ver. 28.-By thy me■ sengers-literally, by that he will not even commence its siege. the hand of thy meBeengers-Rabshe.keh and Ver. 21.-Thill is the word that the Lord others (see eh. xvi.ii. 80, 85; xi.x. 10-18)- hath spoken ccmoerning him. " Him " is, of thon hast reproaohed the Lord, and h.Bllt conrse, Sennacherib. It adds great livdiness said. Sennacherib bad not said what is here and force to the opening portion of the oracle, attributed to him, any more than Sargon had that it should be addressed directly by said the words ascribed to him in Isa. x. Jehovah to Sennacherib, as an e.nswer to his 18, 14. Bnt he had thought it; and God bold challenge. The only address at all accounts men's deliberate thoughts as their si.mil.e.r in Scripture is that to Nehnchad- utterances. Isaiah's " oracle" bringa out nezze.r (Dan. iv. 81, 82), spoken by" a voice and places in a striking light the pride, from heaven." But the present passage is self-coufidence, and self-sulliciency which one of fur greater force and beauty. The underlay Sennacherib's messages e.nd letters. virgin th1r daughter of Zion; rather, the With the multitude of my ohariots; or, with flirgin daughter of Zion, or tlie virgin chariots upon chariots. The chariot-force daughter, Zion. Cities were commonly per- was the main arm of the Aasyrian military sonified by the sacred writers, and represented service-that on which most dependence wa.s e.s "daughters" (see Isa.. xxiiL 10, 12; xlvii. placed, e.nd to which victory was commonly 1, 5, etc.). "Virgin daughter" here may attributed. The number of chariots thut perhaps represent " the consciousness of could be brought into the field by the impn·guabil.ity" (Drechsler); but the phrase A.ssyrians is nowhere stated; but we find eeews to harn b,;en UBed rhetorically or nearly four thousand hostile chariots col- poetically, to h~ighten the beauty or pathos lected to oppose nn ordinary Assyrian in- of the picture (Isa. x.xiii. 12; xlvii. 1; Jer. vasion, and defeated (see • Ancient Monar- xl vi. 11; Lam. ii. 13), without any reference chies,' vol. ii. p. 362, note 8). The estimutes to the qut'l!tion whether the particular city of Cterias-eleven thonse.nd for Niaua, and bad or Lad not been previoutily taken. a hundred thousand for Semira.mis (Diod. .Jel'UBalem certainly he.d been taken by Sic., ii. 5. § 4)-are, of course, unhistorioal . cu. xrx. 1-37.J THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. 381