The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 446

little, there o. little. The objectors profees The yoke of Babylon was probably quite aa to find in the prophet's teaching nothing difficult to endure as that of Assyria; and grand, nothing brot1d-no enunciation of y,e find that, in the space of eighteen years, gret1t letlding principles; but o. perpetual 1t produce<! at least three rebellions. drizzling r11iu of petty ma.xims and rules, Vera. 14-22.-TRE REBUKE 011' JUDAH'S vexatious, cramping, confining; especie.lly N ODLEB. The power of the nobles under the unsuitable to men who had had the training of prieets anil prophets, e.nd could have 11,p- later Jewish monarchy is very apparent precia.ted o. grand theory, or e. new religious throughout Isaiah's prophecy. It ia they, sta.ndpoint, but were eimply revolted ot a and not the king, who are always blamed teaching which seemed to them narrow, for bad government (eh. i. 10-23; iii. 12- ohildieh, and wearisome. It bas been ee.id 15, etc.) or errors of policy (oh. ix. 15, 16; thot in the laugua.ge of this passage " we may hee.r the heavy babbling utterance of xxii. 15-19, etc.). Isaiah now tuma from the drunken ecoffers " (Delitzech) ; but in a denunciation of the priests and prophets, this we have perhaps e.n over-refinement. who especially opposed his teaching, to a Isaiah probably gives us, not whe.t his e.d- threatening of the great men who guided vers.aries said of him over their cups, but the COUJ'se of public affairs. He taxes them the best arguments which they could hit on in their sober hoUJ's to depreciate his doc- with being "men of acom" (ver. 14), i.e. trine, The arguments must be allowe<l to scorners of Jehovah, and with" a proud and be clever. insolent self-confidence" (Delitzsch). They Vers.11-13.-JUDAR's PUNISHMENT, God have made,. or are abont to make, secret will retort on the Jews their scom of his arrangements which will, they believe, prophet, and, as they will not be taught by secure Judrea. against enffering injury at the his utterances, which they find to be childish hands of the Assyrie.ns, and are quite satis- and unrefined, will tea.oh them by utterances fied with what they have done, and fear no still more unrefined-those of the Assyrians, evil. Isaiah is instructed that their boasted which will be quite e.s monotonous and quite arrangements will entirely fail in the time os full of minutim as Ieoie.h's. of trial-their "refuge" (Egypt) will be Ver. 11.-With stammering lips and with found a refuge of lies ( ver. 17), and the another tongue. The Assyrian language, "overflowing scoUJ'ge" (Assyria) will p9.111 though a Semitic idiom nearly allied to He- through the land, and carry all before it brew, we.a sufficiently different to sound in the ears of e. Jew like his own tongue mis- (ver. 18). There will then ensue o. time of! pronounced and barbarized. "vexation" and discomfort (vel:l. 19, 20)- Ver. 12.-To whom he said; rather, be- God's anger will he poUl'ed out upon the land came he said to them. God had from remote in strange ways (ver. 21). He tlrnrefore warns times offered to his people "rest" and "re- the rulers to lay aside their scorn of God, freshing "-or e. life of ee.se and peace in and humble themselves, lest a worse thing Po.Jestine-but on condition of their serving him faithfully e.nd observing his Laws happen to them (ver. 22). (Deut. xxviii. 1-14). But tiley had re- Ver. 14.-Ye scornful men; literally, ye jected this "rest," since they had refused to men of scorn. The word used is rare, but observe the condition on which it was pro- will be found in the same sense in Prov. mised. Because they had thus acted, God i. 22 and xxix. S. A cognate participle now brought upon them we.r and o. con- occurs in Hos. vii. 5. That rule this people, queror. (On the authority of the nobles at this period, Ver. 13.-The word of the Lord w11s to see the introductory paragraph.) them; rather, shall be to them. God will Ver. 15.-We have made a oovenant with now speak to them, not by his prophet, but death (comp. Job v. 23; Hos. ii.18). The by the Assyrian conqueror, who will do words 11re a boost, expressed somewhat cuig- what they said Isaiah had done, i.e. lay upon mo.ticnlly, that they have secured their them command after command, rule after own safety by some secret agreement. The rule, a constant series of minute injunc- exact nat1ll'e of the agreement they are dis- tions, under which they will chafe and fret inclined to divulge. With hell are we at and e.t last rebel, but only to be " sun.red agreement. A "synonymous pamllelism," aDd to.ken." It is uncertain whether the merely strengthening the previous assertion. reference is to the immediate future and to When the overflowing soonrge sho.11 pass tile Assyrians proper only, or whether the through. Assyrian invasion has been com- l3t1bylonians o.re not to.ken into account also, pared to a " flood" (eh. viii. 7; xxviii. 2) and their oppression of J uclwa pointed to. and to a " rod" or " staff" in oh. x. 2-l:. Her; LBAIAB, 2 G  THE DOOR OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH, [on. xxvm. 1~29.