The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 95

W88 moat likely a tambourine. AU four tivity and the consequent suft'eringa and instrument1' had in the earlier times been deaths, both high and low are brought down dedi('.ated to the worship of Jehovah and humbled, while God is exalted in mnn's (I 8am. i.. 5); now they were employed to sight. The future is throughout spoken of inflame men's passions at feasts. They as present (comp. oh. ii. 9, II, 17). regard not the work of the Lord. The Ver. 16.-0od tho.t ia holy shall be ea.no- '' work of J ehovnh " is his manifestation of tified in righteouneaa; rather, the holy Goel himself in history, more especially in the show himself holy by righteousnea, ; i.e. by history of hie chosen people (Dent. xxxii. 4; executing this righteous judgment on Jeru- Ps. xoii. 4 ; o:ri. 3, eto.). A pious Israelite salem the holy God shows his holiness. was ever marvelling at all that God had Ver. 17.-Then she.11 the lambs feed. Dr. done for his nation (Dent. xxxii. 7-14; Kay takes the "lambs" to be the remnant Josh. xxiv. 2-13; I Chron. xvi. 12-22; of Israel that survived the judgment, who Ezra ix. 7-9; Neh. ix. 7-31 ; Ps. lxviii. 7 will feed freely, oared for by the good -28; lxxviii. 10-72; cv. 5-45; cvi. 7-46; Shepherd; but the parallelism so generally cxxxvi. 5-24, etc.). The men of Isaiah's affected by Isaiah seems to require a mean- generation had ceased to cnre for things of ing more consonant with the later clause of the pRBt. and devoted themselves to enjoying the verse. Most commentators, therefore, the present. Neither oonsider, etc. (comp. expound the passage literally, "Then sl10.ll eh. i. 3, "My people doth not consider"). lambs feed [on the desolo.ted estates of the The verb used is not, however, the same in covetous]" (see vers. 8-10). After their the Hebrew. manner; or, after their own guidance; i.e. Ver. 13.-Therefore my people are gone at their pleasure, as they list (so Lowth into captivity. "Are gone" or" have gone" and Rosenmiiller). And the waste plo.ces of is " the perfect of prophetic certainty " the fat ones she.11 strangers eat. Goim, i.e. (Cheyne). The prophet eees the captivity nomad tribes, sho.ll consume the produco n.s a thing that had already ta.ken place. It of the wasted fields once possessed by the "as an appropriate pnniehment for drunken- Hebrew grandees. Ewe.Id proposes to mnke ness and revelry to be carried off into the verse immedio.tely follow ver. 10; but ser,itude, and in that condition to suffer, this is not necessary. The occupation of as slaves so often did, hnnger and thirst. their lands by wandering tribes, Arabs and !eca111e they have no knowledge; or, un- others, was a part of the punishment that atcares, tDithou.t foreseeing it (so Rosen- fell on all the nobles, not on those only who miiller, Gesenius. Ewald. Delitzsch. Cheyne). accumulated large estates. Their honoun.ble men; literally, thnr gwry, VP.r. 18,-Woe ~to them, etc. We como for" their glorious ones "-the abstract for here to the third woe, which ie pronounced the concrete. Are famished; literally, son, against those who openly pile up siu upon of famine; ie. '' starvelings." Their mul- sin, and scoff at God. These men are repre- tiill.de; or, their nouy c:rou,cl (Kay)-the sented as "drawing iniquity with cords of " throng of voluptuaries" who frequented vanity," i.e. dragging after them a load of the great banquets of vers. 11, 12. sin by cords tha.t seem too weak ; and then Ver. 14.-Therefore hell hath enlarged as "sinning with a cart-rope," which is a heraslf; rather, hath enl.arged her desire mere variant expression of the same idea. (comp. Bab. ii 5). "Hell" here represents Mr. Cheyne quotes from the Rig-Veda, as a the underworld, into wl..tich l!01lls descended parallel metaphor, the phrase, "Undo the o.t death. not yet perhaps recognized as rope of sin." comprehending two divisions, but regarded Ver. 19.-That say, Let him make speed, much as the Greeks regarded their Hades- etc. Instead of trembling o.t the coming '11! a general recept.acle of the dead, dark o.nd jndgment of God, which Ieaia.h ha.a an- 1ilent. Hades (Shevl), not viewed as a nounced, they pretend to desire its imme- person, but personified by poetical licence, diate arrival; they want to "see it." They " enlarges her desire " and " opens her walk, not by faith, but by sight. At the month " to receive the crowd that is ap- bottom of this pretended desire there lies a proaching-the crowd of those who in complete incredulity. The oou.nsel; or, pur- sptivity succumb to the ha.rdsl..tips of their poae, as in eh. xiv. 26. Of the Holy One of lot. Their glory; liter:ally, her gwry-the lllrael They use one of Isaiah's favourite glory, i.e., of Jerusalem, which is especially titles of God (see note on oh. i. 4), not from in the prophet's thoughts. "Her glory, and o.ny belief in him, but rather in a mocking ,.,,._ crowd, and her pomp, and he that is epirit. joyfnl 1°n her, shall go down" into the ahe6l Ver. 20.-Woe unto them that oe.11 evil that gapes for them. good. Thie ie the fourth woe. There arc Ver. 15.-A.nd the mean Dl&JI lhall be persons who gloss over evil deeds and evil brought down; rather, ao the mean man ill habits by fair-sounding names, who co.II brought d,c,in; i.e. in this way, by the Cap- cowardice caution, and rashness oouza.ge, OH, V, 1-30.] THE llOOK OF THE PTIOPlIET ISAIAH. 81