The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 445

before tbe fote.l siege of Saro11.ria began, literally, Orientals (e.g. the Perefane) ere His a00888ion must have been nearly con- often given to such indulgence. Have erred temporaneous with that expedition of Shal- through wine; rather, reel taitl, v,ine. Are nmneser against Hoehea, when he " sbut him out of the way; or, atagger. 1'he verbs ox- up, and bound him in prison" (2 Kings press the physicl\l effect.a of intoxiMtion. nii. 4). Yet he was not dauntecl by his The priest and the prophet. Priosts were neighbour's peril. He began his reign with forbidden by the Law to drink any wino or R political revolution &nd a religious refor- strong drink previously to their tnking po.rt mRtion. He threw off the yoke of Assyria, in the servioo of the tabernaole (Lev. :r.. 9), to which his father had submitted (2 Kings and the prohibition we.s always understood niii. 7), &nd he cleared the land of idols to apply a fortiori. to the temple (Ezek. xUv. and idol-worship. It was the dawn of a day 21). Prophets might have beon expected of promise, such as the prophet seems to to act in the spirit of the cornml\nd given to point to in these two versPs. Unhappily, the priests. By " prophets " here Isaiah means, dawn was soon clouded over (vers. 7-9). not persons especially Mlled of God, but The rem.due of hiB people; i.e. Judah. All official members of the prophetical order. Admit that "they also," in ver. 7, refers to Of these there were always many in Judah, Judah, and Judah only; but the sole ante- who Lad no strong sense of religion (see oh. cedent to " they also" is this mention of the nix. 10; J er. v. 13, 31; Ezek. xiii. 2-16; residue of God's people. Amos ii. 12 ; Micah iii. 11 ; Zeph. iii. 4, Ver. 6.-For a spirit ofjudgment. How etc.). They err in vision; rather, they reel far Judah had departed from the spirit of in the "i&ion. They are drunken, even in just judgment was made apparent in the the very exercise of their prophetical. oflioe- very opening ch&pter of Isaiah's prophecy when they see, and expound, their visions. (vers. 15-27). To him that sitteth in They Btnmble in jndgment; or, they stagg11r judgment; rather, that sitteth on thejudgment- taken pronouncing judgment (Delitzsoh). seat (Cheyne). For strength to them that Persons in authority had been specially turn the battle to the gate ; i.e. •• to those warned not to drink wine before the hearing who repulBe an enemy, and drive him back of causes (Prov. xxxi. 4, 5). to his own city's gate" (comp. 2 Kings xviii, Ver. 8.-So that there is no plaoe clean, 8. "He smote the Philistines, even unto Thie is probably the true meaning, though Gaza"). the prophet simply says, " There is no ple.oe" Vere. 7-10.-JtmAR's SINFULNESS. The (comp. oh. v. 8). Ver. 9.-Whom Bhall he teaoh 1 A sudden reformation effected by Hezekiah we.s but a and abrupt transition. The beet explana- half-reformation. It put away idolatry, but tion seems to be that suggested by Jerome, it left untouched a variety of moral evils, e.s: and followed by Bishop Lowth &nd most l. Drunkenness. Jnde.h we.s no whit behind commentators, viz. that the prophet dra- Ephmim in respect of this vice. The very matically introduces his adversaries as re-· plying to him with taunting speeches; priests and " prophets" gave way to the dis- " Whom does he think he is teaching?" gusting habit, and came drunk to the most they e.sk. " Mere children, just weaned solemn functions of religious teaching and from their mother's milk, and taken away hearing causes. 2. Scorn and mockery of from the breast? Does he forget tha.t we God's true prophets. The teaching of Isaiah are grown men-nay, priests and prophets? And what poor teaching it is I What 'end- was made light of by the officials of the less petty tea.zing' I (Delitzsoh)-precept priestly and prophetic orders, who claimed upon precept,'' eto. The intention is to to be quiie as competent to instruct men in throw ridicule upon the smallness and vexe.- their duties as himself. They seem to have tions cho.racter of the prophet's interminable ridiculed the mode of his teaching-its and unintennpted chidings (Delitzsch). Knowledge . . . doctrine. Technical terms catch-words, as they thought them, and its in Isaiah's teaching, which his adversaries insistence on minutia!. seem to have ridiculed as "catch-words." Ver. 7.-They also. Jude.h, no lees tbe.n The term translated " doctrine " ineana Ephraim (see vere. 1, 3). It has been ques- properly "tidings," and involves the idea tioned whether literal intoxication is meant, th&t the prophet obtained the teaching so aud suggested that Judah "imitated the designated by direct revelation from God. pride and unbelief and spiritual intoxication Ver. 10.-J'or preoept must be upon pre- of Ephraim" (Kay). Bnt the numerous oept; rather, for it is precept upon precept passages which tax both the Israelites and (Lowth, Oheyne). The whole tenchiug the Jews of the period with drunkenneBB iB nothing but au accumulation of precept (eh. v. 11, 22; n:ii. 13; lvi. 12; Hos. iv. 11; upon precept, rule upon rule, one little in- ,ii. 5 ; Amoe vi. 6, etc.), ue beet understood junctio~ followed up by 11,nothor, he111 cu. xxvm. 1-29.] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 449