The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 97

tbe desolntC'd lnnd m ono sc-en under tbe Ver. 2'i'.-Nono ahall be weary nor atumblo. gloom of a preternatural darln1ess (ver. 30). None sht\ll lag behind on the mo.roh none Yer. 25.-The threats of this .erse are all foll aud be disribled. Nono she.ll el~mber. Tague and general, for there is no reason to They sht\ll soarcely give themselves time for suppose that the phrnse, "the hills did necessary repose. tremble," refers to an actual earlhquake. ':'er. 28.-Whose e.rrom e.re ahe.rp, e.nd all That t~ero_w~s an <'&rthquake in the reign their ~owe ben~. 'J'.he specio.1 weo.pon of the of Uzz1ah 1s, mdeed, clear from Amos i. 1 ; Assyrian soldiers 1s the bow. From the but it wo.s probably a thing of the pnst when ~ing in his e~a.riot to tho light-1nmed reoruit Isaiah wrote this chapter, and he is spca.'king JU_st pre~sed mto the servioe, o.11 figllt mainly of the future. A " trembling of the hills" with this weapon, more pe.rtioule.rly in the is, in prophetic lo.ngunge, a commotion ~lier times (see • Ancient Monarchies,' vol. among the chief men of the land. He ha.th 1. pp. 414,421, 42-1-437, etc.). Swords nu<l stretched forth his hand. Again the " per- spears are also known, but compara.tively foot of prophetic certitude." Their oaroases Ii ttle used. Their horses' hoofs ; . . like were ~~I'll; rather, were 1U rejUBe (comp. flint. He.rd, strong, nnd. solid, a.s was most La.m. 1_u. 45). 1:hc~ would be many slain, necessary when shoeina woe unlrnown. nnd lymg unbuned, m the streets of Jeru- Their wheel9 like e. whirl~d. Sennacherib salem. For all this, etc. (c~mp. eh. ix. 12, ( eh. xuvii. 24) is represen~ed as boasting of 17, 21, and :.. 4, where the same words a.re the " multitude of his chariots;" and both used a.s a. refrain). 'The words imply that the s~ulptures e.nd the inscriptions of God's judgment upon Junah will not be a. Assyria show tha.t the chariot' force was single stroke, but a. continuous smitina numerous, e.nd was regarded e.s •more fui.. 0 covering some considerable space of time. ' portant than e.~y other.. The kirig always Yer. 26.-Alld he will lift up a.n ensign. went to battle m e. eha.r1ot. For ·the 'com- 'Mr. Cheyne tran~lates, "a signal," and would parison of the rush of chariot-wheels to e. so render the Hebrew word in eh. xi. 10, 12 • whirlwind, see below, eh. lxvi. 15 • e.nd xiii. 2; xviii. 3 ; xlix. 22 ; Im 10. But comp. Jer. iv. 13). ' "ensigns" or "standards" were in use both . Ver. 29.-Their roe.ring shall be like e. nmong the Egyptians (Rosellini, 'Monu- lion; rather, like a lioness, which the Hebrews menti Civili,' pL cm.) and among the appear to have regarded e.s fiercer· than a Assyri,.'\ns (' .Ancient Monarchies,' voL i. p. lion (see Gen. xliv. 9; Numb. n:iv. 9 • Nah 461) b~fore ihe time of Isaiah, e.nd a.re, there- ii. II). The .Assyrian armies probably ad: fore, likely to have been in use .o.mong the vanced to the combat with loud shouts and Hebrews. The standards, however, of this yells (see Jer. ii. 15). Ye,, they shall roe.r; earlyperiocl were not Bags,e.s Jarchisuppo8€s rather, growl. The word 'is different from but. 6?J!.d constructions of wood or meta~ the one used previously, and me.y express cxh1b1tmg some emblem or other. God lifts the "deep growl" with which the lion up his standard to draw the nations toaether springs upon his prey (see Dr. Kay's note, indicating thereby that they e.re to fight hU: ad loc.). Shall carry it awe.y safe. Sen- battles. And will hiss. " Hissing" is sa.id nacherib ea.ye in one of his inscriptions, that to he.ve been practised by bee-keeperd to he carried off to Nineveh· 200,150 captives draw their bees out of the hives in the on his first expedition ago.inst Jerusalem morning, and bring them home again from (Oppert, ' Inscriptions des Se.rgonides,' pp. the fields e.t nightfa.11 {Cyril, ad l.oc.). God 45, 46). will collect a.n ILl'IIlY against Israel, as such Ver. 80.-Like the roe.ring of the see.. persons collect their bees (coinp. eh. vii- 18). Not content with one simile, the. prophet :From the end of the earth; i.e. "to bring them has recourse to a second. "The noise of from the end of the ee.rth." The nations the .Assyrian e.rmy sho.11 be like that of a are, or at least me.ny of theme.re, extremely e. raging sea; " or, perhaps, "After ho has distant, as Ele.mited from the Persian Gulf carried off his prey, the .,\ssyrian sho.11 still (eh. x:rii ti), and perhaps Mades from bevontl continue to growl e.nd threa.ten, like:i o. stormy Zagros. They shall come; literally, he sea." If one look unto ,,the le.nd, etc. If cometh; showing that, though the nations Israel tum i4i, $BZe fr9iit Assyria. to ita own a.re many, they a.re united under one head, land, it sees nothing but o dark prospect- which here is probably the Assyrian power. darkneBB 11,ncL. distreBB, o.11 light shrouded With speed nriftly (comp. Joel iii. 4). The amid clouds ancl deep obscurity. The 'text reference is not so much to the speed with and the construction nre, both Q,f them, whic_h the A..silyrians _marclied, 1¥1 to the ixn- uncerlain; but the general meaning can med1.11.tc r<'s.,po11¥ which t.be7 would m11ke to 11ce.rcely be other than thia. • God'1 call. OR, T, 1--30.] THE BOOK OF THE PROI'HET ISAIAH. 83