wo.e Sueo., and in Ieaiah'11 tim.e it was an ahall not prevent the return of the Jewish lmporto.nt country, frequently at war with exiles from distant countries (vere. 15, 16). Aeeyria. Shino.r w~e an ancient no.me of Ver. 14. - They ehall fty upon the Be.bylonia (Gen. x. 10; xi.I-9). The word shoulders of the Phililtines. It ie not to be ie need o.leo by Do.niel (i. 2) o.nd Zeche.rie.h supposed that ectual war is intended. The (Y• 11). Some regnrcl it as meaning " the subjects of the Prince of Peace will not land of the two ,-ivers!' :rrom Bamath. draw the eword. But the Church will for (On tbie towu, see note to oh. x. 9.) :From many centuries be confronted by enemies, the Wanda of the sea ; i.e. the ielande and muet contend with them with legiti- and coasts of the Mediterre.neo.n. During mate weapons. H is thie warfare of which the Mo.ccabee period, there wae a gradual Isaiah now speaks. The united Church spread of Jews over the Western world. will be strong enough to BBBBil her enemies Alliances were ma.de with Rome and Sparta on all sides, and will "swoop" upon the (1 Ma.co. viii. l : xii. 2-21 ; xiv. 20-23, border-country of the Philistines like a bird etc.), and Jewe became familiar with both of prey. They aha.ll 11p0il them of the east ; Greece and Ite.ly.. St. Paul :finds numerous or the Beni Kedem. The phrase is com- Jews at Rome, and in almost every city of m~nly used in an ethnic sense of the Greece.· • nomadic Arabs inhabiting the deserts east • Ver. 12....:....xe shall set up an ensign for of Jordan, beyond the Ami:n,onite ~nd the nations (comp. ver. 10). Christ ie _the Moabite country, from whose ra.1ds Palestine Ensign. God eete it up to draw. the nations frequently suffered (see Jer. x.liL 28, 29; to hie standard. The outoasts of Israel , . , Ezek. xxv. 4, 10). the disper~ed of ~udah. •:,outce._st~ ". is ma&- Ver. 15.-The Lord shall utterly destroy; ouline, •• the d1epersed femmme. The rather, shall lay under a curse (Aqu(la., meaning is, "He shall gather together the o.va8•µaTfo-«). The tongue of the Egyptian outcasts and dispersed of both Israel and sea. Either the Gulf of Suez or that of Judah, both male and female." A.kabah. God shall do a.way with thoee Ver. 13.-The envy also of Ephraim obstacles which keep the nations apart and shall depart. In the kingdom of the Prince prevent ready intercourse. Both gulfs are of Peacti there shall no longer be qu~rrele thought to have extended anciently con- or jealoUBies ·among the members, Old siderably further inland than they do a.t feudH shall be put aside : the northern' and present. Withhiamighty wind; ruther,with southern tribes shall ·agree together, and the might of his b-reath ( in fortitudine_ spiritua there shall be peace and harmony through- BUi, Vnlgate). Shall he ehake his hand. out the entire Church. Adversaries of A gesture of menace (comp. eh. x. 32). ludah. If any such remain among the Over the river. "The river" (han-nahar) Eph:raimites, Divine vengeance shall "cut is, as usually, the Euphrates, the great river them off," that there be no open disturbance of Western .Aaia. And smite it in the seven of the harmony. . . , streams ; rather, and smite it into set>en Vers. 14-16.-THE UNITED 0HtraOH . streame; i.e. divide its waters among seven SHALL TRIUMPH OVER ITS ENEMIES, Pa:rSI- channels so that it may be readily forded, CAL OBSTACLES TO ITS UNION GOD WILL and cea.~e to be e. barrier. Dry-shod ; REMOVE. Ierael's most persistent enemies literally, in their shoea; i.e. without ta.king ha.cl .been the border-nations of the Philis- them off. Ver. 16.-There shall be an highway. tines, the Edomites, the Ambs, Moab and This is the object in view-the free and Ammon. These are now ta.ken as types unhindered passsge of his people from the of the enemies of the Churoh, and viotory various regions where they are scattered over them is promised (ver. H). A further (ver. 11) to their resting-place in Palestine. promise is llll\de the.t physical di.fliouhies
HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-5.-The spiritual nature of Messiah's perfections: It was cert&inl,r not from Isaiah that the Jews derived their notion that the Messiah would be a mighty temporal prince, the leader of armies! _who would break th_e yoke of Rome from _off their shoulders, and give them ~omm1on ov~~ all the nations of the car_th, Isaiah does indeed, announce him as a Krng (eh. :xxxu. 1), and could do no less, s1~ce ~e_wa.s • d 'd "King of kings and Lord of lords." But he ever puts forward his spmtual ~ha~:cter his inHuence' over men as a Teacher, his moral and mental excellences, Messiah'; qualifications for his high office (as,,here enumerated) are- I. His POSSESSION OF WISDOM'., " Wisdom here may be that transcendental quality 206 TRE BOOR OF 1.11ut 1 ,PlWPHE'l' reAIAH. [ CR, Xt. 1-16,