SECTION VIII. A PROPBEOY 01!' MESSIAR'B Kn!GDOll (CH. XXXII. 1-8). EXPOSITION. e.nd Mr. Cheyne transle.te, " the king .. , CHAPTER XXXII. the princes ; " but the Hebrew gives no Vere. 1--a.-A PB0PHEOY OF llissrAB's article. The announcement is vngne, and corresponds to those of other prophets, as KINGDOM. It is genernlly allowed that of Jeremiah (xxiii. 5), "Behold, the this prophecy is Messianic; but some critics de.ye come that I will raise unto David a insist that it is not so "in a norrow sense." righteons Bre.nch, and a king shall reign They regord Isaiah as expecting Messiah's and prosper;" and of Zechario.h (ix. 9), kingdom to follow immediately on the dis- "Rejoice greatly, 0 daughter of :!:ion ... comfiture of Sennacherib, ond as looking to behold, thy King cometh unto thee." 'fhe "princes" of the ten fll'e the minor authori- Hezekiah to inaugurate it. According to ties whom the king would set over his this view, Hezekiah, renovated in character, kingdom---i.e. the apostles and their suc- was to be the Messiah, ond might have cessors, In righteousness . . . in judg- been so had he been • equal to the demands ment. Messiflh's rule will be a rule of providentio.Jly made upon him." Dut he strictjustioe and right, offering the strongest contrast to that under whioh the Jews have was not; anil the task of establishing the been living since the time of Jehoshaphat kingdom feJI to " another," at fl le.ter date. (see eh. i. 15-23 ; iii. 1-12, etc.). It is simpler to rego.rd the prophet as look- Ver. 2.-A mo.n shall be as an hiding- ing for a greater than Hezekiah (comp. eh. ple.oe from the wind, etc. Modern critics vii. H: ix. 6), but ignorant how soon, or mostly render, "each man" - i.e. the king, o.nd each of his princes. But it ia, how late, his ooming would be. to say the leost, allowabld-with Vitriuga Ver. 1.-A king . , , prinoes. Delitzeoh and Ko.y-to regard tlto word as referring 522 THE BOOK OF Tl:IE PROPHET ISAIAH. (en. x:uu.1-20.
to the king only (comp. Zeoh. vt. 12, xxxii, 6; :2 E-am, iii. 83; xiii. 18; Pa, xiv., whPre uh, n mnn, is need in the so.me l; xxxix. 8; lxxiv. 22, eto.)-auoh e. man vngue way or One who ia clearly the as the "Nabal " of 1 Sam. uv. Men are :Messiah). There wae never but one man apt to confound moral disti.no~ion1, and to who could be to other men all that is call the " fools 1, wl10 waste their subiitan~ predicated in this verse of the "man" men- in feasting and revelrf "generous" or' tioned (comp. eh. xxv. 4, where nearly the "liberal," nnd the nigge.rds (ohur)a) '\Yho same epithets are predicated of God). A hoard their riches " we.rill men,'' " wealthy oovert; i.e a protection against Divine wrath. men," "men well to do _in t~e world_" ss~ Such is Messiah in hie medio.torial character. eh. v. 20; and comp. Ar1st., Eth. N10., 11. Rivers of water; i.e. refreshing and invigo- 8, § 3 ; Thuoyd., iii. 82), This perversion rating (<:-omp. eh. lv. l; John iv. 14; vii. of truth shall not obtain in Messiah'& H7). The shadow of o. great rook. At onco kingdom, Bountiful.; rother, wealthy (comp. refreshing and protecting (see eh. xxv. 4). Joh xxxiv. 19, where the same word is trana- Yer. 3.-The eyea of them that see shall lated "rioh "). I not be dim. In Messiah'e kingdom there Ver. 6.-l!'or the vile person will speak, shall be no judicial blindness, such as that villan:,, eto.; rather, for th.e fooZ spea~th threatened in eh. vi. 9, 10, and described folly, and hia heart doetl, wickedness,practia~ in eh. xxix. 10, 11; but men shall see the ing profanity and uttering error against trnth clearly (comp. eh. xxix. 18; =xv. 5; Jehovah, making empty the soul of the hungry l\Iatt. xiii. 16, et<:'.). The ell.l'B . . . shall -yea, the drink of the thirsty will he catLSe hearken ; i.e. " shall both hear and under- t.o fail. The prophet seems to have the stand " ( compare " He that he.th ears to portrait of Nabo.l in his mind, and to take hear, let him hear"). him as the type of e. class. i Ver. 4.-The heart also of the rash; i.e. of Ver. 7.-The instrument■ . :Mr. Oheyne those who u,ere rash and hasty, who would translates, "the machinations,"' which gives· not give themselves time to understand the a better sense; but the rendering is scarcely warnings addressed to them, or to think borne out by any parallel UBe of the term; of the real character of their actions. These c'Zi in Scripture or elsewhere. O'li pro~rly shall, in Messiah's kingdom, " have the gift mee.us "vessels,"" wee.pons,"" implements." of discernment to perceive things in their He deviseth wioked devioes; rather, h8 true nature" (Delitzsch). The tongue of devi8eth pwta. The word "he" is emphatic. the ate.mmerera. The tongue of those who Unlike the fool, who passively does eviL hitherto have spoken hesitatingly and in- through thoughtlessness, the niggard: consistently on moral and religious subjects actively devises crafty plans against his shall be ready-i.e. prompt and eager-to fellow-men. He seeks to cheat the poor out speak upon them with clearness and ele- of their rights by false witness (comp. eh. i. gance. The grace given to the uneducated 17, 23; iii. 14, 15; v. 28, etc.). Even fishermen of Galilee enabled them to preach when the needy spee.keth right ; i.e. " has nnd tee.eh gospel truth, noi only with clear- right on his side." The translation in the ness, but with refinement. text is to be preferred to that in the margin. Ver. 5.-The vile person ahall be no more Ver. 8.-By libero.I things shall he stand; called liberal; rather, the foolish person or, t.o li'beral things. The Hebrew will bear -u =bal iB .commonly translated (Dent. either sense.
SECTION IX. FtraTBEB DENUNOIATIONB OP lsBAEL, JOINED WITH PROMISES (en. XXXII. 9-20). 1