The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 237

on the impposition tha,t it was thus early(about Babylon with mountains, when he derives it 725 n.o.) revealed to him that Ba,bylonia, from Ararat (oomp. Gen. viii. 4) Minni WRB the great enemy to be fee.red-the ulti- (Armenia), and Ashchene.z (Jer. U. 27). At mate destroyer of Judah and Jeruea,lem, the any rate, the mention of "mountains" here is very appropriate, both Mcdi11 and power th&t would oa.rry the Jewish people Persia being, in the main, mountainous int.o OB.pti vity. oountrice. A great people; or, much peopl6 Ver. 1.-Whioh Isaiah .. , did see (comp. -not necessarily of one nation only. The eh. i. 1 ; ii. 1, et.o. ). Iee.iah &!ways " sees " host of the battle ; rather, a host of war • hie prophecies, whether they are of the i.e. a multitude of men, armed and prepared nature of visions (as eh. vi.) or the contrary. for war. The word is probably used to express the Ver. 5.-They oome from a far oountry strong conviction th&t he has of their abso- (comp. eh. xlvi.11). Both Media 11nd Perei11 lute certaintv. were "far countries" to the Hebrews, Persi11 Ver. 2.-Lift ye up a ba.nner; mther, a especially. 'l'here is no indication that they 51,andard-" an ensign," as in eh. v. 26 ; lrucw of any countries more remote towards xi. 12. "Ensigns" were used both by the the Ee.et. Hence the expression which fol- Assyriane and the Egyptians. "Banners," lows, "from the end of heaven "-the heaven or flags, do not seem t.o have been employed being supposed to end where the earth ended. in the ancient world. Upon the high mollll- Isaiah, like the other sa.cred writers, conforms tain ; rather, upon a bare mount.zin-one hie language on cosmical subjects to the that was clear of trees, so that the signal opinions of his day. Even the Lord. With might be the bett.er seen from it. God's a most effective anthropomorphism, Jehovah army having to be summoned against Baby- is me.de to march with the army that he has lon, the summons is made in three ways : mustered (ver. 4) age.inst the land that has (1) by a 1,igna.1 or ensign lifted up on a. high provoked his wrath-i.e. Babylonia.. The hill; (2) by a loud call or shout; and (3) by wee.pons (comp. oh. x. 15; Jer. I. 25; li. 20). waving or beckoning with the hand. The To destroy the whole land. Many critics whole description is, of course, pure meta- would render ha-areta by •• the earth" here. phor. That they may go into the gates of It may be granted that the language of the the nobles. Either that they me.y enter prophecy goes beyond the occasion in places into the pala.ces of the grandees in Babylon, (especially vers. 11 and 13), and pa.sees from or that they me.y te.ke the towns of the tribu- Babylon to that wicked world of which tary princes. Babylon is a. type; but, where the context Ver. 3.-I have oomms.nded my sanotiJled permits, it seems better to restrict than to ones. The pronoun "I" is emphatic-" I expand the meaning of the words employed. myself." Not only will a.n external sum- Ver. 6.-llowl ye; for the day of the Lord mons go forth, but God will lay hie own is at hand ( oomp. Joel i. 15) ; literally, the orders on them whom he chooses for hie expression used in both pa.see.gee is a day of instruments, and bid them come to the Jehovah. The idiom would not, however, muater. All who carry out his purposes a.re, allow the use of the article, so that the phrase in a certain sense, " ea.nctined ones " (comp. is ambiguous. "The day of Jehovah" ia Jer. =ii 7; li 27; Zeph. i 7, etc..). Here properly "that crisis in the history of the the Medee and Persians are specially in- world when Jehovah will interpose to rectify tended (see ver. 17). l!'or mine anger; i.e. the evils of the present, bringing joy and "for the purpose of executing my anger." glory to the humble believer, and misery Even them that rejoioe in my highneu ; and shame to the proud and disobedient" rather, my prOtLdiy exultant one, (Cheyne, (Cheyne). But any great occa.eion when Roecnmiiller, Geseniue). lEeohylne ea.Us God passes judgment on e. nation is oa.lled in the Persians vrr<pKoµ:rrous (' PerB10,' l. 827); Scripture "a day of the Lord," "a ooming of Herodotus, iJSpur,,.o.s (i. 41). The high spirits, Christ." And so here the day of the judg- however, nature.I to gallant eoldiers on going ment upon Babylon seems to be intended. out to war, rather than any special haughti- It shall come as a destruction from the ness or e.rrogancy, a.re intended. Almighty. Isaiah is thought to quote from Ver. 4.-l'he noise of a multitude in the Joel (i. 15) here; but perhaps both prophets mollllta.ins. I do not know why Isaiah quoted from an earlier author. She.dde.i should not have been "thinking of his (equivalent to "Almighty") is au e.noient geography" (Cheyne). All BOOn as the name of God, most rarely uaed by the pro- Greeks knew anything of the Persians, they phetical writers (only here, and in Ezek. i. 24; knew of them e.e a mountain people, and x. 5; Joel i 15), and never elsewhere by either attributed their valour and their hardy Isaiah or Joel. It he.a genera.II y been ea.id to he.biui to the physical cha.ra.cter of their mean "the Strong One; " but recently the country (Herod., ix. ad fin.). J eremie.h con- theory has found favour that it meant origi- uecui the invading army which destroyed plly "the Se!lder of storms," from the Arabia Cllt, XIII, 1-22.] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAII. 229