The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 2 — Section 169

EXPOSI'l'ION. shnwed the atrength of euch gates (' Trans- CHAPTER XLV. actions of the Society of Bibi. Archreol.,' Vere. 1-7.-Gon's WILL CONCERNING vol. vii. pp. 83-88). Ver. 2.-I will . . . make the rrooked HIM ANNOUNCED TO CYRUS. This direct ple.oea straight; rather, I will make the address of God to a heathen king is rugged places le-,,el. No doubt in tended without a parallel in Scripture. N tbu- generally, "I will smooth his way before chadnezzo.r, PLare.oh, Abimelech, were him." The gates of braes ... the bars of we.rned through dreams. N~buchadnezzar iron. According to Herodotns, the gates was even promised Divine aid (Ezek. xxx. of Babylon were of solid bronze, and one hundred in number (i. 179). Solid bronze 24, 25). But no hcntheu monarch had gates have, however, nowhere been found, previously been personally addressed by and would have been inconvenient from God, much less co.lied "his anointed," and their enormous weight. It is proho.Lle that spoken to by liis name (ver. 4). Three the "gates cf brass," or "bronze," whereof motives a.re mentioned for this special we read, were always, like those found at Ballarat, of wood plated with bronze. 'J'o favour to him: (!) that he might acknow- the eye these would be "gatrs of bronze." ledge Jehovah to be the true God; (2) Gates of towns were, as a matter of course, that I~rael might be benefited und advan- secured by bars, which would commonly taged by him ; (3) that the attention of be made of iron, as the strongest material. the whole world might be attracted, and Iron was well known to the Babylonians (Herod., i. 186). the unity of God made manifest far e.nd Ver. 3.-I will give thee the treasures of wide (vers. 3-6). darkness; i.e. " treasures stored in dark Ver. 1.-Thue saith the Lord to his places"-" hidden treasures." Treasuries e.nointed. The " anointe<l of Jehovah '' is were built for greater security without win- elsewhere always either an Israelite king, dows. Of the treasures whicll fell into the or the expected Deliverer of the nntion, hands of Cyrus, the greatest were probably "Messiah the Prince" (Dan. ix. 25). This those of Babylon (Herod., i. 183) and of Sar- Deliverer, however, was to be of the line dis (Xen., • Cyrop.,' vii. 2, § 11). The vo.lue of David (eh. xi. I), and of the city of of the latter has been estimate<l at above Bethlehem (Mico.h v. 2), so that we can one hundred and twenty-six millions ster- scarcely suppose Is(liah to have seen him liug. That thou me.yest kn.ow; or, acknow- in Cyrus. But he may he.ve seen in Cyrus ledge (for the e.ctual acknowlcdgm,mt, see a type of the great Deliverer, ns he saw in the decrees in Ezra i. 3 and vi. 3--5). If the release of Israel from the power of these documents are accepted os genuine, Babylon a type of their deliverance from or even e.s true in subst(lnce (Ew(l]d), Cyrus sin. Whose right hand I have holden; must be considered to hnve identified rather, strengthened ( comp. Ezek. xxx. 24). Jehove.h with his own Ormuzd, and to To subdue nations before him (see o.bove, have viewed the Jewish and Persian eh. xii. 2, and the comment ad Zoe.). Among religions as substan tio.lly the same. He the no.tions subdued by Cyrus may be would be under no temptation, with so mentioned the Medes, the Bo.bylonians, the wenk e.nd down-trodden e. people as the Lydio.ns, the Carians, the Caunians, the Jews, to resort to politic preteuces, as he Lycians, the B(lctrians, the Socro, the Par- might be in the case of the Babylonians thie.ns, the Hyrco.nians, the Chorasmians, (see the comment on eh. xii. 25). Which the Sogdians, the Arians of Here.t, the oall thee by thy name (comp. vcr. 1 and Zarongians, the Arachosie.ns, the Sato.- eh. xliv. 28). (On the special fe.vour gydie.ns, e.n<l the Gandario.ns. I will loose implied in God's condesccrnling to "know" the loins of ki.nge ; i.e. " render them weo.k or "cnll" a person by his name, see tho and inoape.blo of resistance" (comp. Dan. • Pulpit Commente.ry' on Exod. xxxiii. 12.) v. 6), not "diso.rm them" (Cheyne); for the Am the God of Israel ; rather, am tlie Lord chief royal weo.pons were the spear and •.. the God of Israel. the bow, neither of which wo.s carried e.t Ver. 4.-l!'or Jaoob my servant's sake the gil'dle. To open before him the two- This second motive is, in a certain sense, lee.ved ge.tes. The cities and forts repre- the main one. Cyrus is raised up, especie.lly, sented on the Assyrian monuments he.ve to prrfol'm God's pleasure with respect to invarie.bly theil- gateways closed by two Judah and Joruso.lem (eh. xliv. 26-28). large ge.tes or doors which meet in the Ja.cob, his Church, is more important in centre of the go.tewo.y. The bl'onze plating God's eyes than any individuo.l. No doubt found o.t Ballaro.t ge.ve the dimensions, and his Ohuroh is lllBinte.ined, in po.rt, that it 171 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. [err. XLV, 1-26.