The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 2 — Section 154

and the folly of the idol-worshippen. For Ver. 24.-Thua nith the Lord, This ls thou nrt my servant. Therefore bound to n~t a new proJJhecy entirely unconneoted worship roe, and not the idols (comp. eh. mth the preceding, as Dolitzsoh supposes, xii. 8; vers. 1, 2). I have formed thee (so but a declaration to which the prophet hns also in C'h. xliii. 1, 21 ; vers. 2, 24). The been working up, and which he intends e.s duty of absolute unquestioning obedience the crown and climll.x of o.11 that he has heen sC'ems contained in the relation of that which announcing with respect to Israel's deliver- is formed to that which has formed it. On ance. Not only is the deliverance absolutely the other hand, it may be assumed that he determined on in God's counsels, hut the who has formed a thing will have a oonstant Deliverer himself is o.lreudy chosen and care of it and regard for it-that at any rate designated. He that formed thee from the lie will not ,; forget" it. womb (comp. ver. 2). I o.m the Lord that Ver. 22.-I have blotted out ... thy sins m&li:eth all things-rather, 1 the Lord am he (comp. eh. xliii. 25). 'fhe promise there that doeth all things; i.e. I e.m he that exe- made is here represented as having its ful- cuteth whatever he designs-that stretoheth filment. Before God rc,·erscs his sentence forth the heavens alone (comp. Job ix. 8), and re..-tores his people, he must first forgive that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself. them. As a thick cloud ... as a cloud. It God did not delegate the creation of the would be better to translate, m a cwud heaven and the earth to an inferior spirit, ... as a thick ck>ud. The latter of the a liT11,uo11pyos, as the Greeks generally taught. two Hebrew words used is the more em- He did not even call in the co-operation of e. plrntic. Return unto me. This is an under- helper. Singly o.nd solely by his own power hing condition, both of restoration and of he created all things. forgiveness. Only the penitent can be re- Ver. 25.-The.t frustrateth the tokens of ccirn<l back into favour. The knowledge, the liars; i.e. "who brings to nought the howernr, that God has, in his counsels, prognostications of the astrologers e.nd sooth- •·redeemed" his people generally, may act sayers, that pretend falsely to a knowledge of as a slimnlns on individuals to repent and future events" (see eh. xlix. 13; and comp. turn to him. Jer. xxix. 8, 9); and maketh diviners mad; Yer. 23.-Sing, O ye heavens. The sym- i.e. "shows them to be fools or madmen" pathy of external nature with the fortunes (see Job. xii. 17). That turneth wise men of Israel is assumed throughout Isaiah, as it backward ; i.e. " repulses them-puts them is throughout the Psalms (see eh. xi. 6-8; to flight." Pretenders to wisdom, rather xriv. 4-7; xxix. 17; xxx. 25, 26; xxxiii. than truly wise men, are meant. 9; xu:v. 1, 2, 7, etc.). If Israel is depressed, Ver. 26.-The.t conflrmeth the word of his the earth mu.,,t '' mourn and languish," the servant; that is, of Isaiah himself, whom heavens grow da.rk, the mountains Hhrink God ce.lls "my Servant" in eh. xx. 3. The and "be ashamed." If, on the contrary, "messengers" are the prophets generally. Israel prospers, heaven and earth, mountain Before the return from the Captivity took and forest, must a.like rejoice and sing. Dr. place, it had been prophesied, not only by Kay expounds the rejoicing of the heavens Isaiah, but by Jeremiah (xxix. 10-14), by here (and also in eh. xlix. 13), of the joy felt Ezekiel (xxxix. 25-28), by Joel (iii. 1), by the o.ngels over the returning e.nd par- by Amos (ix. 11-15), by Obadiah (ver. 20), doned sinner; bat the context of both pas- by Micah (iv. 10), and by Zephanie.h (iii. sages is in favour of the material heavens 14-20). being meant. It is quite possiLle that there Ver. 27.-The.t saith to the deep, Be dry is a real o.nd not merely a fancied sympathy (comp. eh. xiii. 15). "The fl.ood" here is between the material and the spiritual probably the ma.in stream of the Euphrates, worlds. The Lord ha.th done it; literally, while "the rivers" are the various side the Lord hath wrought - what he has streams which branched off from it and wrought is not said. lllr. Cheyne trans- again united themselves with it. Some lates, "Jehovah Lath done nobly." Shout, commentators regard the drying of En phrates ye lower parts of the earth. Metonymy of as a mere metaphor for the exho.ustion and the part for the whole-" the lower parts of ruin of Babylon (Kay); but (with Delitzsoh) the earth " for " the earth even to its lowest I should b~ inclined to understand a reft!rence depths." There is no thought of Sheol or to the action of Cyrus in drawing off the of its inhabitants. Bre&li: forth into sing- water of the river (see the comment on oh. ing (comp.eh. xiv. 7; xxxv. 2). As children xiii. 15). crnd birds sing from the very gladness of Ver. 28.-That saith of Cyrus, The men- their hearts, thereby venting the joy that tion of Cyrus by name, here and age.in in almost oppresses them, so all nature is called eh. xiv. !,has no doubt been one of the me.in upon, not merely to rejoice, but to give vent grounds on which has been set up the theory t.o its joy, now that Israel ia redeemed and of two Ise.iahs. It has been thought incre- God glorified.. dible, or at any rate contrary to tho o.ua.10&7 on. XLIV, 1-28.J THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. lii9