The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 2 — Section 115

conjoined (']auses, and by the comment of is frequent in the Psnlms (xxxiii. 3; xcvi. vers. 16-19. To bring out the prisoners 1; xcviii. 1; cxliv. 9; oxlix. 1). His pre.iae from the prison; rather, to bring out from the end of the earth; i.e. "let his pri6oners. To deliver from the bondage of praise be sung by nil the inhe.bite.nts of the sin such as are it. slaves, and shut up in its enrth to its remotest bounds." The sea. Seo. prison-hoases. The promise is general, but, and land are ce.lled upou equally to proclaim like all spiritne.l promises, conditioned by God's praise; the sea, "and its fulneas" the willingness of those who a.re its objects (me.rgin)-those who frequent it in ships, to avail themselves of it. Them the.t lit in and those who dwell on its shores and de.rkness (comp. eh. ix. 2). islands. The last clause, " the isles and Ver. 8.-I am the Lord; rather, I the the inhabitants thereof," is exegetical of Lo,rd. The sense runs on from the preceding the preceding one-" e.11 that is therein." verses: "I, the Lor,I, will do all this, I who Ver. 11.-The wilderness and the oitiea e.m all that the Na.me 'Jehova.h' signifies- thereof, The desert had its cities, built on self - existent, eternal, self-snfficing, inde- some more or Jess fertile oases, where at pendent, omnipotent, and therefore unique, any rate water was procurable. InstRnces one whose glory cannot be shared with of such cities are Tadmor, Petra, Kadesh e.ny other being that exists-least of e.11 (Numb. xx. 1). Its villages were probably with images, which a.re mere vanity and collections of tents, which were moved from nothingness." time to time, since the Beni-Kedar were Vera. 9-17.-.AN°NOUNCEMENT OF THE nomads (eh. xxi. 16; Ps. cxx. 5). The call CoIDNG DELIVERANCE OF lsRAEL FROM BABY- is upon both the stationary and the wander- ing inhabitants of the Syro-Aro.bie.n desert to LON, AND CALL ON THE NATIOYS FOR A SONG join in the song of praise. The inhabitants OF PRAISE A...'ID J URILATION. Jehovah is still of the rook; rather, the inhabitants of Bela, the speaker. He begins by promising e. new or Petra, the rock-city, which was the capita.I revelation (ver. 9). Then, before the reve- of Idumiea, or Edom (see the comment on oh. lation is me.de, he calls upon the nations- xvi. 1). It is assumed that the return of the Israelites to their land ought to be a subject especially those in the vicinity of Pe.lestine of rejoicing to all their neighbours. -to rejoice at whe.t is a.bout to happen Ver. 12.-Let them give glory unto the (vers. 10-12). After this he proceeds to Lord , . . in the islands; i.e. "let those make the annonncement promised in ver. 9 who are in the islands," or the maritime --e.n annonncement that he is about to de- tracts, "give glory to God "-a repetition of the lo.at clause of ver. 10. The peraistonoy liver his people (ver. 16) and to execnte with which the islands, or the maritime vengeance on their enemies (vers. 13-15 tracts of the west, are mentioned (eh. xli. 1, and 17). 5; xiii. 10, 12; xlix. 1, etc.) may perhaps be Ver. 9.-Behold, the former things are accounted for by the fact the.t Christianity eome to paas; i.e. former prophecies hnve was to obtain its earliest and its most en- been fulfilled. Israel has been led into during triumphs in these regions. ce.piivity, and in her captivity has suffered Ver. 13.-The Lord shall go forth. The grievoill! things. The reference is, perhaps, exhortation to '' sing unto the Lord a new especially to such prophecies as eh. mix. song" ends with ver. 12, and now the renson 5-7. And new things do I declare (comp. or groundwork for the exhortation has to eh. xliii 19). The volnntary restoratiou of be declared. God is about to make one of a captive people to their own land by the the great manifestations of his power upon power to which they were subject, and the earth-to '\go forth II agninst his enemies, which could compel their services, was em- and destroy and devour, and easily prevail phatically a "new thing" in the world's age.inst them-not, however, simply in the hi.story. How unwilling the sovereign way of punishment and vengeance, but with power was ordinarily to lose such services a further merciful object. He will f.unish may be seen by the narrative in Exodus Babylon, that he may dP-liver Iarae . He (v.- xiv.), and again by the account has promised not to forsake his people ( eh. wliich Herodotus gives (i. 73, 74) of the xii. 17). Ho is now about to give cffc:ct to ground of quarrel between Alyattes and his promise by a "new II and stre.nge de- Cyaxares. Before they spring forth; or, liverance. He "will bring his people by e. Bhoot forth. The metaphor is one taken way that they knew not,--1md lead them in from the vegetable world (comp. eh. xliii. paths that they he.ve not known" (ver, 16). 19; xlv. 8). It has been said that "in effect it is the Ver. 10.-Bmg nnto the Lord a new song. day of judgment which is here described 11 The call for a "new song" is baaed upon (Cheyne); but this seems to be only so far the groand that the mercy vouchsafed was true as every manifestation of God's wrath • "new" one (eee ver. 9), The expreuion towards his enemies is a foreshadowing of OH. :nu. 1-2&.J THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAlI. 1!0