The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 2 — Section 3

Ver. 11.-I 117, In 2 Kings xviii. 20 we He conclades that, in IJO doing, he must re&d, "Thou sayest" for "I say," which have offended Jehovah. He is probahly gives 11 hotter sense. Dr. KBy holds the ignornnt of thr, peculiar proviso of the two forms to be "complomentary." I hBve Jewish Law, tlHLt ,;e.crifice should be offored oounsel Bnd strength for WBr. Either tlie in one place only, and oonceives that Heze- words of H"zekfoh had been reported to kiah has been actuated by some narr01v Sennncherib, or Ila rightly divined Hcze- motive, and has noted in the intere8te 'lf kiah'e thoughts. It was, 110 doubt, in reli- one city only, not of the whole people. Ye ance on the "conneel" of Elinkim and the shall worship befora this 11lt11r. The po.rallcl "strength" of Egypt that the Jewish mon- p11ssage of 2 Kings (xviii. 22) has "this arch had B second time provoked his suze- 11lto.r in Jerusalem." The brazen altar in rain. the grea.t court of the temµle is, of courae, Ver. 6.-This broken reed; rather, a.a in meant. Hezekiah had cleanse,! it from tho 2 Kings xviii. 21, this bruised ree!l (comp. pollutions of the time of Ahaz (2 Chron. eh. xiii. 3). A reed m&y be "bruised," Bnd xxix. 18), and had insieti,d on sacrifice wholly untrustworthy 11s II support, while it being offered nowhere else (2 Chron. xxix. Bppears sound. A "broken" reed no one 21-35; xxx. 15-2-1; xxxi. 1, etc.). Such would leBn on. Egypt. There had been B concentration of worship was unknown to t..me?when Egypt wns II strong power, feared 11ny of the heathen nations, 11nd may well &nd respected by her neighbours, o.nd e. have been unintelligible to them. terror even to Assyria. But these times Ver. 8.-Now therefore give pledges; i.e. were long pe.st. For the last fifty years "bind yourselves under some penalty." the country had been divided against itself Rnbsha.keh here interrupts his message to (see the comment on eh. xix. 2), split up introduce an offer of hie o...-n. Intent on into e. number of petty principalities. Re- ridiculing the absurdity of Hezekfah's re- cently the neighbouring kingdom of Ethi- sistunce of Assyria, he promised to make opia. hBd claimed e.nd exercised a species of him 11 present of two thousand horses, if he sovereignty over the entire Nile valley, while (Hezekiah) can find two thousand trained o.llowing tributary princes t'l govern different riders to mount them. It is quite likely portions of it. Of these princes the most tha.t he was safe in mBking this promise, import11nt 11t the time of Ra.bshBkeh's em- o.nd tha.t, notwithstanding the abundant use bassy seems to have been ShBb&tok, who of chariots 11nd horses by the Jew, of the reigned in Memphis, probably from B.O. 712 time for purposes of luxury (eh. ii. 7), they to n.o. 698. Egypt is likened to e. "bruised were destitute of B cavalry force o.nd unac- reed" on account of her untrustworthiness. customed to the management of war-horses. "So" (Saba.co) had given no substantial Ver. 9.-How then wilt thou turn 11w11y help to Hoshe11. Sh11batok was little likely the f1100, etc.? i.e. "How wilt thou be able to imperil himself in order to assist Heze- to defeat, 11nd cause to retreat, a. single As- kiah. Even 'l'irh11kah would probably syrian captain at the heo.d uf his squadron?" Bvoid, a.a long e.s he could, e. conflict with And pnt thy trust on Egypt for cha.riots and the full power of Assyria.. Phll?Boh, Xing for horsemen; rather, but thou tru.stes! in. of Egypt. Sennacherib uses the generic Egypt for chariots and for horsemen. Con- term, "Ph11rBoh," ins Lead of mentioning 1111y sciousness of the weakness, with which Rah- of the petty princes by name, because he eha.keh had just reproached them, had led means to 'speo.k genernlly. The King of to their a.n,Jicatiou to Egypt for II chariot Egypt, under present circumstances, ,vho- 11nd a. cavalry force. Egypt was well able ever he may he, is no better than e. bruised to furnish both. and had sent a. large force reed. In his own inscriptions, Sennacherib of both to the help of Ekron 11 short time about this time uses the exprnssion, "the previously (' Epouym C,rnon,' p. 13:~. 11. kings of Egypt" (' Eponym Canon,' p. 183, 48-5G). That lorce had, however, suffered ). 47). defeat at the ho.nds of Sennacherib. Ver. 7.-It thou BBY to me, We tr111t in Ver. 10.-The Lord said unto me, Go up the Lord. "The Assyrians," it has been against this land, and .destroy it; liternlly, observe!!, "had a good intelligence depart- Je/1ovah said unto me, Go up, etc. (comp. ment" (Cheyne). It we.a known to Senna- 2 Chron. xxxv. 21, where Necho tells Josiu.h cherib that Hezekiah hud a confident trust, that "God commanded" his expedition which seemed to him wholly irrational, in against Carchemish). The heathen mon- Johcv11h-the special God of his people. archs frequently represented themselves a,;i It we.a also known to him that Hezelcinh, in directed to make war on II nntion by Go<l., the earlier portion of his reign (2 Kings or by some particular god. Piankhi l\'Ier- xviii. 4), had "removed the high ple.oes" 11mmon says, "I e.m born of the loins, and broken down the altars, where Jehovah created from the egg, of the Deity ... I had for centuries been worshipped through- have not acted without his knowing; ho out the length and breadth Qf the ll\lld, ordained that I should 11ct" (' Records of  THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. [oH. x:r.xv1. 1-22.