SEOTION VL Goo's GENERAL JuDGMENTS Ul'ON THE EARTH (oH. xuv.-:u:vu.). EXPOSITION. ofo. broader oheractcr, involving the future of CHAPTER XXIV. the whole world. This section of hi~ work Vera. 1-20.-Goo's JUDGIIENTB ON THE extends from the commeneemcnt of eh. :1xiv. WORLD AT LARGE. From special denuncin.- to the eonclusion of eh. xxvii., thus including tions of woe upon particulo.r 1mtions-H,.1Jy- four chapters. Tho world ut l\rgs is the lon, Assyrin, Fhilistin, Monb, Syri11 of D:i.- , gencrul subject of the entiro prophecy; but mnscus, Egypt 11ud Et.hiopia, Ar11bin, Ju<lrea, the •• pcculiur people" otill mni,1t,uns a T7rc-the prophet ,,oases to dcuuudations 101\rkcd anu prominent place, WI 11piritually THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. [on. xx1Y. 1-23.
the leading country, o.nd ns one in whose forth the cause of the fact. It ia the old fortunes the world Rt brge wonld be a.lway11 oause, whioh has reduced so many !nude to ,-it.ally concerned (sec cspccio.lly ob. xxiv. desolation, and whioh in the far-off times produced tho Flood, viz. the wickedness of 23; nv. 6-S; :i.ui. 1-4; :xxvii. 6, 9, 13). man (Gen. vi. 5-UI), The earth is "de- Ver. 1.-Behold, the Lord ma.keth the filed" or "polluted" by the sins of its euth empty. Sc,·eral critics (Lowth, Ewald, iuhabito.ntst and has to lie purged from the r;cscuius, Knobel) prefer to render," maketh defilement uy suffering. They have tre.na- the land empty;" but the broo.der view, gruaed the laws. Apnrt from both JudRism "hioh is m"i11taincd by Rosenmliller, Kay, and Christianity, all mankind have beon l 'heyne, and others, scE1ms preferable. The placed by God under a double law : I. The mention of "the world" in ver. 4, a.nd of "law written in their hearts" (Rom. ii. 15). "the ldngs of the earth" in ver. 21, implies which speaks to them through their con- a wider field of sur'l'ey than the Holy Lo.nd. sciences, and lays them under n.n obligation Of course the expression. "maketh empty." the.t cannot be gainsaid. 2. The l&w of posi- is rhetorical, some remarknblo, but not com- tive commands, given to the entire human plete, depopulation being pointed at (comp. race through the common progenitors, Ado.m wr. 6). l'urneth it upside dowu ( comp. Ezek. and Noah, which is obligatory upon a.ll to xxi. 27). Soa.ttereth a.broad the inhabitants. whom it has been traditionally h&nded down; The soanty population left is dispersed, and but which ho.s been only very po.rtie.lly not allowed to collect into mo.sses. handed down, a.nd it is not generally felt as Ver. 2.-It ahall be, u with the people, 110 obligo.tory. Me.nkiud has in &11 ages largely with the priest, etc. There she.II be "no transgressed both laws, and both would seem respect of persons "-no favour shown to men to be pointed at in the present passo.ge. The of any particular rank or station. All ehall transgression of the "lo.w written in the suffer equally. The author is obliged to bee.rt" is doubtless tb&t which especially take a.s examples distinctions of rank known calls down God's vengeance, o.nd makes him to him ; but he carefully selects such o.s a.re from time to time execute wrath on the of almost universal occurrence. There was whole world. Changed the ordine.noe; rather. scarcely any nation of antiquity in which broken, ~olatecl,, Transgression in act is in- tilere were not "priests and people," ••ma.sters tended, not formal abrogation of the Divine and slaves," "buyers and sellers," "lenders ord.ine.ucee. Broken the everlasting oove- nnd borrowers," "takers e.nd givers ofusuey." nant. Mr. Cheyne supposes au allusion to Jly " usury" is meant, not exorbitant in- the coveno.ut made with Noah (Gen. ix. 16); terest, but interest simply, of whate~er but it seems better to understand that "ever- runount. lasting covenant" which exists between Ver. 3.-The l&nti; rather, t.he earth. The God and ma.n, in virtue of the nature where- same word is need as iu ver. 1 (arets). with God ha.s endowed man, a.nd of the laws Utterly spoiled; i.e. "wasted by rival armies, which he bas impressed upon me.u'e con- which have carried fire and sword over the science. Sophocles well says of these law1, whole of it." Compare the declaration of th&t they a.re our Lord, " Ye shall hear of wars and tli/,C.roSes, obptivla.11 11&' o.16lpa rumours of ware: see that ye be not troubled ; 'rf1tvo8lv-res, &iv "OAvµ1ros for all tllese things must come to pass, but ,ra.T¾,p µ.0110,, obS, 11111 611aTA the end is not yet. For nation she.II rise tp{uris 1&11,pr,,11 lnt<TEII, ovS~ against nation, and kingdom age.inst king- µ.,/11 TOTE l\.J.611 l<IITCl<Otp.cftTEI. dom . . . e.11 these a.re the beginning of sorrows" (Matt. xxiv. 6-8). Or- Ver. 4.-The ee.rth ... f&deth a.way. As " Le.we that walk on high, begot and bred a flower ihat fades and withere up ( comp. eh. In upper e.ir, whose only sire is Heaven; i. 30; x.xviii. 1, 4; xxx.iv. 4, etc. ; 0.11d Ps. Nor did the race of morto.ls give them i. 3 ; xxxvii 2). The world. Tabel ha.a birth, never any nurrower sense than the entire Nor will oblivion ever co.use them sleep." •· world," and must be regarded as fixing the meaning of arets in passages where (e.e Ver. 6.-The oune; rather, a cur,e. God here) the two a.re used e.e synonymous. The has pronounced & curse upon the earth on haughty people; or, fli£ high ones. All the account of man's perversity; a.nd hence the great a.re brought down, and le.id low, the.t calamities which the earth is a.bout to suffer. "the Lord alone may be exalted in that day" Are de1ola.te ; rather, are held a, guilty (see (cf. eh. iL 11-17). Zech. xi. 5 ; and compare the marginal Ver. 5.-The earth &!Bo is defiled. Hither- rendering of Ps. v. 10 ; xxxiv. 21). Are to the prophet he.a been concerned with the burned; or, ,corchecl,-shrivelled up by the mere fact of a terrible judgment to be sent "burning anger" (eh. xxx. 27) and "fiery by God upon the whole worlc!. Now he sets iQdignation" aieb, :,;. 27) of Jehov11h. ou. xuv. 1-28.] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 385