The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 284

Ver. 8.-Take 0011D1el, ueoute Judgment, the loss of the products of the 110il whioh is eto. Aooording to moat critics, these are threatened in the next three verses. "Kir- the words of the Moabites, or of a. Moe.bite H.a.reseth" is probably the same place as omba.BSador at Jerusalem, a.nd are a. ca.11 on the" Kir-Moab" of eh. xv. I. It was one Judma. to give shelter to the fugitives from of the principal cities of Moab (see 2 Kings Moa.b. Some, however, a.s Dr. Ka.y, main- iii. 25). tain that the words are the prophet's, ad- Ver. 8.-The felda of Heahbon (see the dressed to Moe.b, calling on her to treat comment on eh. xv. 4). The whole of the kindly fugitives from Judma.. !lake thy Mishor, or BelkB, on the edge of which lhadow aa the night (comp. eh. iv. 6). He,Mn stands, is caltivable and ca.pable of In the bot land of Moab the sun is a.n producing good crops. The Moabites stored enemy, and "the ehadow of a great rock" a water in reservoirs (Cant. vii. 4), and made welcome refuge..: their country a garden. The vine of Sib- Ver. 4.-I.et mine outoaats dwell with mah. "Sibmah" is mentioned in Numb. thee, Jloab. The change of one occent will xxxii. 8 and Josh. xiii. 19 among the allow of this passage being translated, Let towns of the Reubenitea. According to the outcasts of Moab dwell tDith thee; and Jerome (' Comment. in Esaiam '), it was so jt is rendered by the LXX., the Syria.c, less than half a mile distant from Heshbon. by Lowth, Gesenius, Hitzig, Ewa.Id, and Mr. Jeremiah follows Isaiah in lamenting the Cheyne. Delitzsch and Dr. Kay agree with destruction of its vines (Jer. :i:lviii. 32). The the Authorized Version. l!'or the extor- lords of the heathen have broken down the tioner is at an end. This seems to be urged principal plants thereof. " The lords of as a reo.son why the protection asked should the heathen" are probably the Assyrians, be given: it will not be for long-the op- who made a practice of destroying the fruit pressor is about to receive chastisement. trees in an enemy's country, for the mere He is ea.lied " the extortioner," as exacting purpose of doing mischief (' Ancient Mo- the utmost possible tribute from conquered narchies,' vol. ii. p. 84). It is wanton to lands. Such exaction was characteristic of disc!Ll'd this very satisfactory sense for the Assyrio (2 Kings xv. 19; xviii. 14; 'As- strange one that "the choice pla.nts have syrian Inscriptions,' paasim). The spoiler broken down-i.e. made drunk-the lords aea.seth; literally, devastation eeaseth. of the heathen" (Cheyne). The rendering Ver. 5.-And in mercy shall the throne of the Autliorized Version is supported be established ; rather, and there shall be a by Gesenius, Ewald, Bosenmiiller, Meier, throne established in mercy. A Messianic and Dr. Kay. They are oome even 11llto vision oomes upon the prophet in connection J'a.zer; rathn, they (the vines) reached to with the disappearance of the oppressor. J02er; i.e. the vine of Sibmab was culti- There eholl be one doy-he knows not how vated as far BS Jazer. Jazer lay about soon or how late-a. throne established in twelve miles north of Heshbon, in the ter- mercy, and "One shall be seated upon it in ritory of Gad (Numb. xxxii. 35). It L3 truth, who shall occupy the tent [or,• house'] probably identified with Ea Szir, which is of David, as one who judges, and seeks in the required position, and retains o. trace justice, and hnstens on [the reign of] of the name (Seetzen, 'Reisen,' vol. i. pp. righteonsness." 397, 398). They wandered through the Ver. 6.-We have heard of the pride of wilderneBB ; rather, they strayed into the lloab. A new section commences. Moa.b wilderness ; i.e. the cnlti vation was pushed has not accepted the olfer of mercy maue eastward into the actunl midbar, or desert. in vers. 1-5, and is therefore denounced Her branches are stretched out; or, her off- ofresh. Her "pride" prevented her from shoots are spread abroad ; i.e. the youn~ renewing her subjection to the house of shoots or slips nre taken by the cultivotors David, and therefore it is her pride which and spread further and further. They are is specially condemned. Jlia lies shall not even carried ocross the Dead Sea, ,rnd be so j rother, of no worth are hi8 boast- plontcd on its western shore. Mr. Cheyne ings. The result will not correspond with supposes the prophet to refer to the "vine- them, yards of En-gedi" (Cont. i. H). Ver. 7.-Every one shall howl; rather, Ver. 9.-Therefore I will bewail (comp. the ta11ole of it shall howl; i.e. the entire oh. xv. 5, and see the Homiletics on thot nation collectively (comp. Herod., viii. 99; verse). With the weeping of J'a.zer. "With ix. 24). l!'or the foundations of Kir-Hareseth tears as genuine 11s Jo.zer's own" (Kay). 0 ahall ye mourn. The word here tmnsluted B:eahbon and Elealeh (on the close con- "found11tions" is elsewhere olways ren- nection of theso two cities, see the com- dered " fie.gone " or " ft11gons of wine " ment on eh. xv. 4). l!'or the shouting, etc.; (2 Sam. vi. 19; Cant. ii. 5; Hos. iii. I). rather,for on thy Bummer fruits and on t1,·y And this rendering is more ogreeoble to har"est a s1wutillq is fallen. The "shout• the oontext than " foundations," since it is ing" intended lB that of the invadin"  178 Tlrn BOOK OF THlll PROPllE'r ISAIAI!. tcrr. 1'v1. l-14.