The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 212

o.lso to co.rry out thought Into act; (3) other words the.t evor came from a. hume.n "The knowledge nnd the fear of the Lord,". mouth. In the le.lit day words from his or ao9uctintnnce with tho true will of God, mouth will consign to everlasting life or to eombrned with the tleterminntion to eo.rry everlasting destrnctiou. out tho.t will to the full (John iv. 34; Luke Ver. 5.-Righte0118nesa shall be the girdle ::uii. 42 :· Heb. x. 7). It is needless to say of his loins, eto,; i.e. "righteousness shall tho.t o.ll these qualities exi•ted in the be ever with him, ever ready for active use, gre11test perfection in our blessed Lord. ever (as it were) bracing him for action." Ver. 3.-And shall make him of quiok Assuredly, he we.a "righteous in all his understa.nding. This rendering of the ways, and holy in a.II his works " (Ps. cxlv. origino.l, though defended by Dr. Ke.y, is 17). Faithfulness (comp. Eph. vi. 14, quite without support from e.ny other pas- "Having your loins girt about witl1 truth"). so.11e where the same word is used. Modem Vers. 6-9.-Messiah's kingilom, when writers· almost e.ll tmnslate, either " the fully realized, shall be one of perfect peace. bree.th of his noslrils shall be in the fear "They shall neither hurt nor destroy in all of the Lord" (Herder, Ewe.Id, Meier, his holy mountain." Primarily, no doubt, Cheyne), or "a sweet savour shall he find in the passage is figumtive, and points to the fear of the Lord" (Gesenius, Delitzsch, he.rmony among men, who, in Messia.h's Rosenwiiller, Knobel). Ke shall not judge kingdom, shall no longer prey one upon after the sight of his eyes. " God seeth the e.nother (see especially ver. 9). But, from J1ee.rt." Qur Lord "knew men's thoughts" the highest spiritual standpoint, the figure (Ma.tt. ix. 4, etc.), o.nd therefore did not need itself becomes a ree.lity, and it is seen that, to "judge e.ccordlng tp the e.ppea.ra.nce" if in the "new hea.vens and new earth" (John vii. 24), Thus his judgments were there is an a.nimal creation, it will be fitting alwa.ys righteous. . the.t there he.rmony should equally prevail Ver. 4.-With righteo~esa shall he e.mong the inferior creation. Haman sin judge the. poor (comp. eh. xxxii. 1, "A may not have introduced rapine e.nd violence king shall reign in righteousness"). It among the beasts--:at least, geologists tell would be ehe.raeteristie of the Messia.h's us that_ animals preyed one upon another rule tliat, the poor should be eared for, that long before the ea.rth was the ha.bitation of oppression should cease, and judgment be mau-but still man's influence may prevail no more perverted in favour· of the rich. to eradica.te the beasts' natural impulses .There is an intended contrast between and educate them to something higher . _the Messia.h's rule in this respect, and the.t :Already domestice.tion produces an accord of the princes of J ud~h (eh. i. 23 ; iii. 15 ; and harmony that is in a certain sense x. I, 2). Christian countries still, for. the against nature. Me.y not this be carried most po.rt, follow their Lord's exe.mple in further in the courso of ages, o.nd Isaiah's this particuJe.r, if .in no other, he.ving judges picture have e. literaJ fulfilment? Jerowe's tho.t are incorruptible, and .. tribunals the.t scorn of the notion as a poetic dream bas are free from any lea.ning against the poor. about it something he.rsh e.nd un tender. Reprove; or, plead (as in Job xvi. 21). The Will not God realize aJJ, o.nd more tbe.n all, meek of the earth; rather, the humble, or of love and happiness that poet:!' dreo.ms can cijjt-icted. Low condition, not meekness of reach to? spirit, is wbo.t the word used expresses. Ver. 6.-The wolf . . . the leopard . . . He shall smite the earth. A slight altera- the young lion . . . the bee.r are the on! y tion of the text produces the mea.ning, he ferocious e.uimnls of Pulestine, where the ehall 8111ite t~e terrible one (comp. eh. xxix. tiger, the crocodile, the a.llige.tor, nnd the 20), which improves the parallelism of the jaguar a.re unknown. Tlmt the Palestinia.n clauses. But t.here is no. need of e.ny hea.t was carnivorous, e.nd a danger to ruan, a~tera.tion, pe.rallelism in Isaiah being often e.ppce.rs by Lo.m. iii. 10; Do.n. vii. 5; Amos inc ,mplete, The Messiah ot his coming v. 19. A little ohild shall lead them. l\Io.n'~ will " Bl!lite the earth" genemlly (see Mai. superiority over the brute creution shn.11 iv. 6, and comp. Matt. x. 31, "I oo.me not continue, and even be augmented. 'fbe to send peace on the earth, but o. ~word "), most powerfuJ bee.sts shall submit to the and will also especially, chastise " the control of a· child. witked." The rod of hill mou.th . . . the Ver. 7.-The lion shall ee.t straw (comp. bree.th of his lips. " The Word of God is ob. )xv. 25). There is nothing impossible quick, and powerful, and she.rper th11n e.ny in this. Cats are foud of some kinw of two-edg6d sword, piercing even to the divid- vegetable food. ing asunder of soul and spirit. e.nd of the Ver. 8.-The suoking ohild shall play on joints and marrow, o.nd is a discerner of the hole of the asp ; mther, by lhe hole-near the thoughts e.nd intents of tlie heart" (Heh. it. The "e.sp" is probably the Cvl11ber iv. 12). Th~ se.y ings of Christ pierce the Noje of F.gypt, whose bite is very deadly. oonsaienoe and penetra.te the soul as no The -katrioe' den. The "cockt,irke " ia 204 THE BOOK OF THE PBOPRET ISAIAH. [on. u. 1-18.