The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 24

the Lord bath spoken it. A weighty end- Vers. 24-31.-TB:El DBOLARATJ01' OJI' Gon•~ ing, incliMting the certainty of fulfilment; JtJDGME:'IT. It Is foreknown to God that Jehovah, who'cannot lie, has spoken; the result will assuredly follow. Israel will not repel)t. .He therefore lnlmi- ,, Vera. 21-23.-lsAU.H'B LAMENT OT!iR nates his judgment; which, however, is still ,i111BOBALlllM. The exhortation to amendment conrlitional, so far ne individuals are con- has been me.de-the results have been set cerned. Hill vengeance will fall upon the forth; the temporal reward has been pro- fond; bnt the result will be twofold. mised; the temporal vetigeance, unless they Destruction will come npon the unrighteous amend, threatened. Time must be allowed and the sinners (ver. 28)-they will be "con- the people for the prophet's worcls to reach sumed" (ver. 28), and "confounded" (ver. them, and do their work upon them, i.e. 29); bnt there will be some on whom the either soften or harden them. Meanwhile, punishment will have a purifying power, Isaie.h reflects on the condition of Jerusalem, whose dross it will purge away, and whom and the unlikelihood of its rulers turning to it will convert to God (vers. 25, 27). From God in consequenoe of his preaching. these will rise up a new J erusalem-e. "city Ver. 21.-How is the faithful oity beoome of righteousness," a "faithful stronghold " an harlot ! Not here an idolatress, but one (ver. 26). that has left her first love, and turned to Ver. 24.-The Lord, the Lord of hosts. In other attractions. Faithful once to her lord the original, Ha-Adon, Jeh01Jah Sabacth- her spouse (Cant., passim), she has now cast ie. '.' The Lord" (or "Master" of men and him off-she is an adulterous wife, she no a,ngels)," t,he Self-Existing One of the hostB longer obeys or loves her husband. It was of heaven "--i.e. their God, the only proper full of judgment; righteousness, etc. " She object of their worship. It gives peculiar that was full" (Revised Version). Under weight and significance to this prophecy Solomon (l Kings iii. 9-28) and again that it is introduced by a triple designatio~ under Jehoshaphat (2 Chron. xix. 5-11). of the Divine Being. The :Mighty One of It is not clear when the systematic perver- Ismel A very nnnsue.I designation, only sion of j11Btice by the rulers began. Perhaps found here and, with the modification of it originated in the latter part of Uzziah's "Jacob" for "Israel," in the following reign, when the royal authority was weak- places_: eh. xli.x. 26; Ix. 16; Gen. xlh. 24; ened by being divided between Uzziah and Pa. c:uxii. 2, 5. God's might would be Jotham (2 Chron. :uvi. 21). But' now slfown alike in his vengeance on his murderers (see the, last note on ver. 15). enemies, a.ad in his pnrifice.tion of e. remnant Ver. 22.-Thy silver is "beoome drou. to serve him. I will ease me of mine Primarily," thy great men have deteriorated." adversaries; literally. I un'"ll comforl. me; i.e. From· ·pure silver, they have become mere I will rid myself of them, e.nd so obtain the dross, the vile refuse of the smelted ore, only only comfort that they will u.llow me to fit to ,be cast away as worthless. But per- receive from them (comp. Ezek. v. 13, "I haps there is some further reference to all will cause my fury to rest npon them, and that wail once precious in. Jerusalem; there I will be comforted"). had been a general deterioration-all tho Ver. 25.-I will tur:n my ha.nd upon thee ; silver was now a debased metal of rio value. rather, I will bring back my hand upon thee; Thy wine mixed with water. •A parallelism; ie. I will once more pnt forth the "strong but (as so often happens)a weakened itera- hand and mighty e.rm," with which !brought tion of the preceding sentiment. thee out of Egypt (Pa. c::uxvi. 12), 11.Ild will Ver. 23.-Thy prinoes are rebellioua ; i.e. work another deliverance-the deliverance 11f "rebels against their true King, Jehovah." Israel out of captivity. Purely purge away Companions of thieves. Leagued with those thy dross; literally, will purge away thy dross who are engaged in filohing away the in- like boraz, which was used as a fi= in puri- heritance of the widow and the orphan by fying the metal. The prophet continues the ohicane in the law oourts (see above, vers. metaphor of ver. 22. And take away all thy 15-17; e.nd oompu.re the Homileties ou vers. tin; rather, thy lead-the 1tlloy with which 16-20). Gifts . . . rewards; i.e. "bribes," the "silver" had become mixed. given and taken on the condition of their Ver. 26.-I will restore thy judges a.a at perverting justice (comp. J er. mi. 17 ; the first (see Exod. xi.x. 25, 26). In the early Ezek. u:ii. 12; Micah iii. 11; vii. 3). They times there WI\S no bribery, no perversion of judge not the fatherless, etc. They dismiss jW<tice (Jer. ii. 2, 3). God will bring back the orphan's oomplaint without hearing it, a time when the nation will renew its first and a:re so noted for perversion of justice that love, nnd be as it was in the do.vs of Moses the widow does not even bring her Cl\use and Joshua. Thy counsellors (comp. 2 Sam. before them. xv. 12; 1 Ohron. xxvi.. 14; xxvii. ,12, 33, F, THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. [oK, I, 1,-31,