The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 238

e1,'d8-jecit, effudit. However this may be, Ver. 12.-1 will make a man more preotou the word is certainly used in the later times than line gold (cornp. eh. iv. 1). Population mainly to express God's power to visit and she.II be so diminished that man she.II be thE punish, and the present passage might per- most highly esteemed of commodities. The haps be best translated, " It shall come o.e a more sce.nty the supply of e. thing, the greater destruction from the Destroyer (k'sh/;d mish- its value. The golden wedge of Ophir; rather, Bhaddai yabo')." pure gold of Ophir. Ophir is mentioned e.s Ver. ?.-Therefore ■hall all hands be faint e. gold-region in 1 Kings ix. 28; x. 11 ; xxii (comp. Jer. I. 43; Ezek, vii. 17; Zeph. iii. 48; I Chron. xxix. 4; 2 Chron. viii. 18; ix. 16). There ~ho.II be a general ino.ction and 10; Job xxii. 24; xxviii. 16; Ps. xiv. 9, apathy. Recently discovered accounts of the Its locality is uncertain. Gold of Ophir ap- capture of Babylon by Cyrus show a great pears to have been considered especially want of o.ctivity and vigour on the po.rt of pure. the defenders. Every man's heart shall melt Ver. 13.-I will 1hake the heavens (comp. (comp. Dent. xx. 8; Josh. ii. 11; v. I, etc.). Joel iii. 16; Hag. ii. 7; Matt. :niv. 29). In The general ino.ction will spring from a general, this sign is mentioned in connection general despondency. This statement agrees with the end of the world, when a. "new much better with the recently discovered heaven e.nd e. new earth " a.re to snperaede documents than does the statement of Hero- the old (eh. I.xv. 17; Im. 22; Rev. xxi. 1). dotus, that, safe within their walls, the Isaiah me.y, perhaps, pass here from signs Babylonians despised their aeee.ilo.nts, and connected with the fall of Babylon to those regarded themselves as perfectly secure. which will announce the last de.y- ea.eh Ver. 8.-They shall be afraid; rather, dis- "day of the Lord" being, as e.l.ready ob- mayed. Pangs and sorrows shall take hold served, e. type of the final and great day (see of them; literally, they shall take hold of the comment on ver. 6). Or, possibly, the pangs and sorrows. They shall be amazed ; allusion may be to some "shaking" by God rather, look aghast. Their faces she.II be e.e of e. supra-mundane kingdom as preliminary 11.ames. I know no better explo.no.tion than to his passing judgment on Babylon (so Dr. that of Dr. Ke.y, that a sudden transition is Ke.y; comp. eh. xx:iv. 21). intended from despondency to extreme ex- Ver. 14.-lt shall be e.s the ohased. roe. citement. When the visitation comes on Babylon, there Ver. 9.-The day of the Lord (see the com- shall be a loosening of all ties between her ment on ver. 6). Cruel; i.e. severe and painful, e.nd the subject nations. Her armies shall not really " cruel." To lay the land desolate. disband themselves, the pressed soldien As in ver. 5, so here, many would translate from foreign countries deserting, e.nd hasten- ht1-arets by " the earth," e.nd understand e. ing with e.11 speed to their severe.l homes. desolation extending fe.r beyond Babylonia.. A flight of the foreign traders e.nd visitors But this is not necessary. may also be glanced e.t. As e. sheep that no Ver. 10.-The stars of heaven . . . shall man te.keth up; rather, a.a sheep with none to not give their light. Nature sympathizes gather them. with her Lord. When he is angry, the light Ver. 15.-Every one that is found . . . of the heavens grows dark. So it was e.t the every one that is joined unto them ; i.e. all crucifixion of Christ (Matt. xxvii. 4 5) ; so it the popule.tion, both native e.nd foreign. will be at the end of the world (Matt. xxiv. Ver. 16. -Their children e.lso shall be 29). So it is often, if not o.lway~, at the de.shed to pieoes. In the barbarous warfare time of great judgments. The oonstellations ; of tbe time, even children were not spllred literally, the Orions. J[esil, the Fool, was (see Ps. cxxxvii. 9; Ne.h. iii. 10; Hos. xiii. the Hebrew nnme of the constellation of 16). When e. town was taken by OBse.ult, Orion, who was identified with Nimrod, the they were ruthlessly slaughtered. When type of that impious folly which contends spa.red, it was only to be dragged off e.s against God. From its application to this ea. pti ves, e.nd to become the slaves of their particule.r group of stars (Job ix. 9; xxxviii. captors in o. foreign land. Assyrian sculp- 31; Amos v. 8), the word came to be applied tures often illustrate this latter practice. to constellations in genera.I. The Baby- Their wives ravished (oomp. Lam. v. 11: lonians very early marked out the sky into Zech. xiv. 2). constellations. Ver. 17.-Behold, I will stir up the J[edea Ver. 11.-1 will punish the world for their against them. lso.ie.h's know ledge that the evil. Here the prophecy certainly goes be- Medes should take e. lee.ding pa.rt in the yond the destruction of Babylon, e.nd becomes destruction of Babylon is, no doubt, e.s sur- e. general warning to the wicked of e.11 coun- prising e. foot as almost e.ny other in the tries. Each country is to feel that its turn entire range of prophetic foresight, or in• will come. Punishment will fe.11 espeoilllly sight, e.s set before us in Scripture. The on the unjust, the proud, o.nd the haughty Medes were known to Moses as e.n ancient (comp. eh. i. 28; ii. 11-17, etc.). nation of some importe.nce (Gen. x. 2); bu, 230 THE BOOK OF 'l'HE PROPHET ISAIAH, [ou. xm. 1-22.